Global Corruption And Crossing Boundaries (2)

All of us are aware of the problem of scams and corruption. The problem has grown rapidly in recent years. In my previous article “Global corruption and crossing boundaries (1)” (Oct. 23, 2014), I referred to the Kroll Fraud Report. Many respondents in this international survey of executives mask the growing problem though, and will claim there has been little change in their country's incidence of fraud. I am not sure who they think they are kidding.

In the media there is still too much focus on threats from 5,000 miles away rather than the man in the next office or somebody in your life. According to the annual Kroll Global Fraud Report, perhaps we find it more comforting to think of the enemy as a faceless hacker in a distant land, but experience shows that to be the exception rather than the rule.

Here are just a couple of interesting facts from the 2013-2014 Kroll Global Fraud Report based on their survey:

The United States has an incidence of fraud below the overall average -- 66 percent of companies were hit by one act of fraud in the last year compared to 70 percent globally -- and a rate of loss that is also slightly under the norm -- 1.2 percent compared to 1.4 percent for the survey as a whole.

Russia faces grave concerns over corruption and information theft. The nation had a substantial fraud problem in the last year, with 76 percent of respondents reporting that their companies had been hurt by at least one act of fraud, one of the highest figures in the survey among countries with sufficient respondents to calculate a figure. Russian firms also report losing an average of 1.9 percent of revenues to fraud, well above the 1.4 percent overall average.

As the world becomes more integrated and more people work in bi-or multi-cultural settings and travel abroad, we will be influenced by a larger picture of the world, others' beliefs, and their socio-political, moral and aesthetic ideals. These principles by which we know and appraise material and spiritual events dictate how we live and the choices we make.

People have different ideas and measuring sticks of what is right and what is wrong and our approach to dealing with what is wrong differs.

On the lighter side of a grave concern, I want to share a cartoon of a dog and cat that I came across. Of course, the dog was up to no good. The dog was trying to pull a fast one on the cat. At first glance it made me giggle but then it made me think. The dog was standing in the corner between a wall and washing machine, waiting for the cat to be led into the trap, which was the inside of the washing machine. The washing machine door was open with a sign hung on the right side of door that said “fud” and an arrow pointing to the left, directing the cat to go inside where there was “fud.” The cat, too smart for the trick, was hesitating to enter.

A worldview is formed by a system of generalized views of the surrounding world and man's place in it; man's relationship to the world and himself. It is up to each individual to embrace good or bad. Standards have changed and morals have shifted.

If you have lived in the US and are familiar with postage stamps, you may know that sometimes the stamp on the envelope is not cancelled by the postal service during processing. This means the stamp can be used again. Probably there are some people who are pleased to find an unpostmarked stamp. They can steam it off and glue it onto another envelope and save some money. Some would say using the stamp is wise recycling, whereas, others would say it is stealing from the US government.

A number of Today Zaman readers have shared their experiences of being the victims of scams and ask what Turkey is doing about scams, abusers, etc. Turkey does have a tendency to mask problems and particularly this growing problem. Many wrong acts occur, as the nation lacks the resources to handle everything. Turkey is enacting many laws to protect individuals and consumers, but the laws are not always enforced and consumer satisfaction is not a priority. Many governments are drawing some lines against scams, abuse, and so on, but more needs to be done to enforce the law in Turkey.
Companies will need to be more active if they want to keep fraud levels as low as they were in the past. On the personal side, we, as individuals, need to be like the cat and not be so gullible and trusting.

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON (Cihan/Today's Zaman)