Fidelity Insurance
Damage prevention

 

Defence through claims prevention

Even extensive preventive measures and controls cannot, of course, completely prevent abuse and fraudulent acts. However, they can at least make these more difficult. You should therefore take note of the following recommendations: If a business relationship has already existed for a number of years, the trust in the customer naturally also grows. Even in the case of large companies, you assume that payments will be made. After all, nobody wants to lose their reputation. Or the buyer has assured you that a budget has been provided and you will be paid without any problems. Or your sales team has checked the customer's history elsewhere and is confident that the customer is financially stable.

 

  • Control individual business processes in order to create transparency.
  • Clearly define duties, authorities and responsibilities.
  • Ensure that there is a separation of functions (e.g. cash desk, accounting and dunning not in a single unit).
  • Try to avoid “knowledge for the sake of control” on the part of a few employees.
  • Integrate controls into the daily routine. Carry out regular spot checks on all employees – regardless of their length of service – so that potential perpetrators are caught off-guard.
  • Review the effectiveness of your internal control system (audit and compliance).
  • Make regular checks and visits to your subsidiaries or branches in Switzerland and abroad.
  • Place particular emphasis on checking your liquidity. Ask your auditor to explain the individual items on the balance sheet in detail.
  • Thoroughly vet new employees – especially those in key positions – before hiring. Ask for detailed documents and references. Always request originals of all documents. If necessary, insist on the submission of a current extract from the criminal record.
  • Encourage your employees’ willingness to change and their mobility within the company.
* Note: This checklist contains our recommended preventive measures. However, these are not binding guidelines. You are of course free to proceed differently.