Putting the AP in hAPpy

Send us Fan Mail Fraudsters continue to evolve but there are still lazy fraudsters that keep using the same tactics to divert vendor payments, because they keep working.   Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compliance fines...

Send us Fan Mail How confident are you that your current vendor process can avoid tomorrow’s fraud? Without a controlled vendor add and change process to avoid fraud, two upcoming Nacha rule changes will expose your organization to increased financial losses and heightened identity theft risks.  Which two rules are coming up in 2027? Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson....

Send us Fan Mail Duplicate vendors can lead to internal and external fraud.  Here is how to eliminate duplicate vendors in the vendor master file, how to prevent them in the first place, and which vendors I’ve seen that always have duplicates.  Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best pr...

Send us Fan Mail You may know about the TIN Match tool provided by the IRS, but do you know about the other free tool you should be using to validate tax-exempt organizations? Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compliance f...

Send us Fan Mail We all know that a confirmation phone call for vendor remittance changes is a standard control to avoid payment fraud.  Anyone who has ever performed that duty knows how frustrating it can be to reach some vendors. One subscriber asked if they could use a video conferencing platform instead.  Hmmm…. Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need he...

Send us Fan Mail From process failures to managers covering up what was really going on, here are 5 missed chances a fraudulent payment could have been stopped or contained. Plus, what lessons you can take so the same thing does not happen at your organization. Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal cont...

Send us Fan Mail As team members that handle vendor data or vendor payments you have a lot on your plate, and we don’t have time to waste on a new compliance requirement that does not apply to our organization.  Could that be the case with some Nacha ACH operating rules?  Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, in...

Send us Fan Mail Treat every failed fraud attempt as a learning opportunity, not just a close call before the next attack is successful. The controls used to block that first fraud attempt, turn into evolved fraudster tactics when they attack your organization again – especially if you do one thing that I do not recommend.  Keep listening.  Check out my website training.debrarrichardson.com if you...

Send us Fan Mail There is still time to process tax reporting files in the IRS FIRE system. For 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC filers, if you want to know what you can file and the deadline you need to file before the FIRE system is retired….  Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to red...

Send us Fan Mail An internal employee stole close to $15M from Bridgestone over 4 years and through investments, made and additional $6M.  Did they get to keep it and the way the internal fraudster was caught after they left the company.  And what question should you ask of your vendor process?  Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentica...

Send us Fan Mail If these 11 things are happening, they are signs it’s time to review the data in your vendor master file.  What are the 11 signs?  Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compliance fines or bad vendor data. Check ou...

Send us Fan Mail Being a Vendor Process Manager is a little like being a referee, detective, and data janitor all at once. In this episode, we'll cover the key priorities that help you reduce risk, improve compliance, and clean up vendor chaos. Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best pr...

Send us Fan Mail If you think you don’t have to worry about duplicate vendors because your Accounting System or ERP catches them – just know – that you probably have duplicate vendors.   Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compli...

Send us Fan Mail Do you and your team know what you need to do if there is a fraudulent payment?  If you want the five steps that are probably not in your IT team’s fraud response plan…… Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compli...

Send us Fan Mail   Many organizations have as part of the vendor validation process to verify vendor’s information against state business registrations, IRS TIN Match records, and bank records.  If validations are successful that information is trusted and payments are made.  Fraudsters are now taking advantage of this trust.  How?.... Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com...

Send us Fan Mail Banks merge, get acquired or fail – often.  This is not something your vendor normally makes their clients aware of, so if you want three ways to find out before fines or returned payments….. Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraud...

Send us Fan Mail Organizations put processes in place when adding new vendors and changing existing vendor information to avoid fraud, regulatory fines and bad vendor data.  But are they being followed? Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent...

Send us Fan Mail Phase 2 of the Nacha Fraud Monitoring Rule for ACH initiators is here and now everyone has to comply.  What are the requirements and are you ready? Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compliance fines or bad vend...

Send us Fan Mail An article outlines what’s wrong with traditional cybersecurity awareness training against today’s fraudsters but misses the mark on the resolution to evolving fraudster tactics.  Let’s fill-in the gaps.  Keep listening. Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potenti...

Send us Fan Mail The August 1st deadline for filing 1099 corrections is closer than you think—and missing it could cost your company in IRS penalties. In this episode, I’m breaking down which errors demand immediate correction, which ones may not, and the two options to reduce or avoid unnecessary fines.  So, to know exactly what to fix, what to ignore, and how to protect your organization before...

Send us Fan Mail According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) after studying 2,402 cases that led to $3.4 Billion in losses across in 143 countries and territories, they have both the profile of an internal fraudster and 8 behavioral red flags to look for.  Not to mention the #1 weakness that allowed the fraud and the #1way employers found out about the fraud. Keep listening. ...

Send us Fan Mail Finally – some great news from the IRS of all places.  Yes there is a new IRS Draft W-9 form and it’s good for the vendor team.    Keep listening.   Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potential for fraudulent payments, compliance fines or bad vendor data. Check o...

Send us Fan Mail Agentic AI in email can be the difference between making a fraudulent payment and catching the payment fraud before the request moves past email.  As with all tools, there are activities that require a human.     Keep listening. Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the...

Send us Fan Mail What if you had not only had second set of eyes to review a vendor email to make sure there are no red flags in when there is a request to change banking, but also to check for this new fraudster trend to pass your confirmation call?   Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best...

Send us Fan Mail Approval workflows for vendor adds and changes can help to reduce payment fraud and avoidable errors in vendor data.  For why to do it and how to do it if your system does not support approval workflows…… Keep listening.  Check out my website www.debrarrichardson.com if you need help implementing authentication techniques, internal controls, and best practices to reduce the potent...