What’s coming for SAO’s 2025 International Fraud Awareness Week

Every year, the Special Investigations Team at the Office of the Washington State Auditor investigates misappropriation in all types of governments, from large state agencies to small towns and special purpose districts. So far in 2024, our Office has issued 16 fraud investigation reports representing more than $767,000 in misappropriated or questionable uses of public resources.  

No matter the type or size of your government, fraud could happen to you and, if left undetected, it could have significant financial implications.  

While our Office always promotes preventing, detecting and deterring fraud, we're ramping up our efforts next week in honor of International Fraud Awareness Week. It kicks off Nov. 16, and here’s a look ahead at what's to come:  

Fraud risks loom large for small governments in 2025: Misappropriation of public funds can be financially devastating to local governments, especially in smaller, rural areas where community members depend on taxpayer money to supply critical services and resources. This article will highlight five of the investigation reports issued in 2025 for small governments, and resources we offer that can help governments prevent fraud.  

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. This article highlights a new resource designed to make this important bank statement review as simple as possible. 

Recognize change payment request scams quicker with our top six signs of a scam: Since 2016, Washington’s governments have reported more than $37 million of lost public funds as a result of cyberfraud, sometimes referred to as phishing, spearfishing or business email compromise schemes. This article will show you how to spot these scams with our new poster, “Change Payment Requests: Six Signs of a Scam.” 

SAO's The AudPod: Tune into SAO’s exclusive podcast, The Aud Pod, on November 12th when drop our episode talking with a key player helping lead the fight against fraud in government: Brandi Pritchard, SAO’s Assistant Director of Special Investigations. With 20+ years of experience at SAO, Brandi brings a wealth of expertise and insight to the conversation, which explores emerging trends, the types of people that commit fraud, the reasons why they commit fraud, and fraud prevention resources governments can use to help detect and deter the misappropriation of public funds. 

Be on the lookout for these articles and more, and make sure to check out the official website for #FraudWeek to learn how your government can get involved.