Washington local governments, if you do just one thing to prevent fraud, do this

The Office of the Washington State Auditor has investigated many losses of public funds that governments could have detected sooner – if only someone had looked at their bank statements. Whether you are a finance professional, a department head, or even an elected or appointed official, regularly reviewing your monthly statements can greatly increase the odds of deterring and detecting fraud.

To make this task as simple as possible, we have designed a new resource: “Follow the Money: A practical guide to reviewing government bank statements to stop fraud in its tracks.”

This guide is packed with helpful information for government employees with oversight responsibilities. We’ll tell you the basics of banking and bank statements, including warnings from case studies SAO investigated; what to do if you spot a red flag; and then the shining star of this guide:

A pull-out checklist to help you review statements in as little as 30 minutes a month. Our 30-Minute Follow the Money template outlines all the steps – print or save a copy each month to start protecting your government’s money. Done regularly, it’s an activity you can bank on!

Download a copy and get started on preventing fraud today.

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All our guidance is available online at no cost. We have a lot of great information to share, so spend a few minutes in SAO’s Resource Library to see what we have to offer!

How to reach us for more assistance

Remember, SAO can help. If you have technical questions, submit them using our HelpDesk in the client portal.