fraud - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

When Your Boss Calls, But It’s Not Really Your Boss: Deepfake Fraud Is Here

Picture this: Your CFO calls you on Zoom. She’s asking you to process an urgent wire transfer for a confidential acquisition. You can see her face. You recognize her voice. Other executives are on the call too, nodding along. Everything looks and sounds exactly right.

So you authorize the transfer. And $25 million disappears into a criminal’s bank account.

This isn’t a hypothetical. This happened to engineering firm Arup in early 2024. Every single person on that video call was fake—AI-generated deepfakes created from publicly available conference footage and interviews. The finance employee didn’t stand a chance. And honestly? Neither would most of us.

Welcome to 2026, where seeing is no longer believing, hearing definitely isn’t either, and “I’ll believe it when I see it” has officially retired as a useful phrase.

The Numbers Are Staggering (And Not in a Fun Way)

Deepfake fraud drained $1.1 billion from U.S. corporate accounts in 2025—triple the $360 million lost the year before. By midyear, documented incidents had already quadrupled the entire 2024 total. And here’s the stat that should keep every business owner up at night: 72% of business leaders now identify AI-enabled fraud and deepfakes as their […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2026-03-03T17:51:44+00:00March 3rd, 2026|AI, Tech|0 Comments

IRS Launches New Web Page to Streamline Tax Fraud and Scam Reporting

The Internal Revenue Service announced the launch of a new web page that allows taxpayers to confidentially report suspected tax fraud, scams, evasion, or other tax-related illegal activities, as well as internal-facing improvements that will enhance how referrals are used to stop illegal activity.

“Improvements to the IRS fraud reporting system make reporting suspected wrongdoing easier and simpler and will address historic challenges that had prevented the IRS from making maximum use of the referrals it receives,” said IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano. “By reporting suspected tax fraud or scams, taxpayers play an important role in uncovering fraud and supporting the integrity of the nation’s tax system.”

The new web page consolidates multiple IRS fraud-reporting options into a single, centralized location, making it easier for taxpayers to report suspicious activity. The web page can be found by selecting the new ‘Report Fraud’ button on the IRS.gov homepage or at IRS.gov/SubmitATip. Taxpayers are encouraged to report suspected tax-related wrongdoing as soon as possible to help the IRS address fraud and noncompliance.

The new web page is only an initial improvement to the IRS’s fraud reporting process. Over the longer term, […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2026-02-27T18:33:07+00:00February 27th, 2026|irs, News|0 Comments

Protecting Yourself and Your Employees from Identity Theft and Fraud

In today’s digital age, the threat of identity theft and fraud has never been more prevalent. With cybercriminals becoming increasingly sophisticated, it’s essential to understand the risks and take proactive steps to safeguard your personal and professional information. Recent events, such as the significant data breach that compromised Social Security numbers, highlight the urgency of staying vigilant.

The Growing Threat of Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone illegally obtains and uses another person’s personal information, typically for financial gain. The recent breach, where hackers accessed and possibly stole Social Security numbers, as reported by Yahoo News, is just one example of how widespread and damaging this crime can be. The far-reaching effects of such a breach are alarming, as Social Security numbers are not easily changed and can be exploited by criminals for years to come. This means that even long after the initial breach, individuals may continue to face risks such as fraudulent credit card applications, tax fraud, and other forms of financial exploitation.

Fraud: A Broader Concern

Fraud encompasses a range of activities beyond just identity theft. It includes any deceitful practice intended to secure an unfair or unlawful […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-08-15T17:53:44+00:00August 14th, 2024|fraud, Tech|0 Comments

3 Common Forms of Insurance Fraud (and How Businesses Can Fight Back)

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are well-advised to buy various forms of insurance to manage operational risks. But insurance itself is far from risk-free. You might overpay for a policy that you don’t really need. Or you could invest in cheap coverage that does you little to no good when you need it.

Perhaps the most insidious risk associated with insurance, however, is fraud. Dishonest individuals, whether inside your company or outside of it, can exploit a policy to defraud your company. Let’s explore three of the most typical forms of insurance fraud and some best practices for fighting back.

1. Premium diversion

According to the website of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, this is the most common form of insurance fraud. It occurs when an employee or insurance agent fails to submit premium payments to the underwriter. Rather, the person steals the funds for either personal use or to cover other business expenses.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-01-31T16:47:46+00:00January 31st, 2024|fraud, insurance|0 Comments

Commission Fraud: When Salespeople Get Paid More Than They’ve Earned

Many employees — from retail workers to sales staffers involved in complex business-to-business transactions — receive part of their compensation from sales-related commissions. To attract and retain top talent, some companies even allow employees to earn unlimited commissions.

Unfortunately, some commission-compensated employees may be tempted to abuse this system by falsifying sales or rates. Fraud methods vary depending on an unethical salesperson’s employer and role. But companies need to be aware of the possibility of commission fraud and take steps to prevent it.

3 forms

Generally, commission fraud takes one of three forms:

Invention of sales. A retail employee enters a fake purchase at the point of sale (POS) to generate a commission. Or an employee involved in selling business services creates a fraudulent sales contract.
Overstatement of sales. Here, a worker alters internal sales reports or invoices or inflates sales captured via the company’s POS.
Inflation of commission rates. An employee changes a company’s commission records to reflect a higher pay rate. Employees who don’t have access to such records might collude with someone who does (such as an accounting staffer) to alter compensation rates.

More sophisticated schemes can involve collusion with customers and other outside […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2022-01-07T20:21:59+00:00January 7th, 2022|fraud|0 Comments