Raise awareness of fraud and corruption

Fraud is a growing problem affecting people, businesses, and governments in Australia and around the world. By using clear communication and targeted awareness training, you can equip your teams with the knowledge and tools needed to prevent, identify and stop fraud and corruption effectively.

This page provides resources to help you raise awareness across your entity and help others learn what fraud and corruption is, why it is important to stop it and ways to prevent it.

You can also find tools and resources to help prevent corruption in the corruption prevention and education section of the National Anti-Corruption Commission website.

Why fraud and corruption awareness matters

Fraud and corruption risks can undermine the objectives of every Australian Government entity in all areas of their business. This includes:

• delivery of services and programs
• policy-making
• regulation
• taxation
• procurement
• grants
• internal procedures.

Learn more about the total impacts of fraud.  

The Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework requires entities to take all reasonable measures to prevent, detect and respond to fraud and corruption. This includes making officials aware of what fraud and corruption is and ensuring fraud and corruption risks are considered when planning and conducting the entity’s activities.

Your entity will be better placed to fight fraud and corruption if staff understand fraud and corruption risks. Raising awareness of fraud and corruption empowers staff to recognise and report suspicious activities early, helping prevent the harms that they cause and strengthening your entity’s internal controls. An understanding of fraud and corruption will also lead to:

• a positive, integrity-driven workplace culture
• improved compliance with an entity’s obligations
• improved perceptions of a transparent and accountable government.

Annual fraud awareness week campaigns

International Fraud Awareness Week

During International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) every November, organisations around the world come together to:

• educate employees on how to recognise, report and prevent fraud
• promote counter-fraud efforts in their organisations and communities.

The week-long campaign provides a valuable opportunity to raise awareness, share best practices and engage employees through events, training and resources.

Participating in IFAW enables your organisation to:

• build a stronger fraud prevention culture where everyone feels responsible and empowered
• help staff to spot, report and respond to fraud risks effectively
• break down silos and encourage collaboration for a united front.

IFAW 2025

This year, IFAW will be held 16-22 November 2025. Our theme is:

Preventing fraud is a team effort – Don’t sit on the sidelines

We have prepared a promotional toolkit for Australian Government entities and counter-fraud officials to help promote IFAW 2025. The toolkit will help you highlight the importance of collaboration, shared responsibility and active participation across all levels of your organisation to combat fraud.

We will host a series of webinars during the week for Australian Government officials. Contact info@counterfraud.gov.au to find out more.

Previous IFAW campaigns

Find our previous IFAW campaigns here:

• IFAW 2024
• IFAW 2023
• IFAW 2022

Counter-fraud and anti-corruption awareness training

Effective fraud and corruption awareness training is essential not only as a deterrent but also to empower staff to recognise risks and identify red flags. It plays a vital role in building a strong defence against fraud and corruption.

Designing fraud awareness training programs

You should include fraud and corruption awareness training in induction programs and have a rolling program of regular fraud and corruption awareness and prevention training for all staff. Training should include information on:

• how managing fraud and corruption aligns with your entity’s strategic goals and values (why it is important)
• the responsibilities for all officials to control fraud and corruption risks in their day-to-day work
• what fraud and corruption looks like, including common red flags
• how to respond to the red flags, including how to report suspected fraud or corruption confidentially.

The International Public Sector Fraud Forum Guide to designing counter fraud and corruption awareness training for public bodies provides useful information to help you understand:

• the value of implementing a counter-fraud and corruption awareness program across your organisation, and
• the steps required in planning, designing, developing and evaluating an effective counter-fraud and corruption awareness training program.

Training programs

A range of training options are available for staff to ensure they know what fraud and corruption is and how to consider these risks when planning and conducting their activities.

Learn about available training courses for all staff as well as training opportunities tailored to different roles within your organisation.

Essential tools and guidance

Staff in your organisation need to understand what fraud and corruption is to be able to prevent it. We offer several resources you can use to educate people within your organisation. These include: 

• fraudster persona posters and video, which can be used to develop engaging and easy-to-grasp campaign material, such as posters, screensavers and social media posts
• common traits of employees who have committed internal fraud to help your employees look out for red flags within the organisation
• information about the impacts of fraud to help your organisation understand why it’s important to stop fraud
• real-life stories to provide examples of what fraud can look like.

Guides and toolkits

You can use our counter-fraud resources in your awareness campaigns to help staff understand and play their part in preventing fraud and corruption. Tailor your awareness programs to your specific audience. Use and adapt our materials to fit your organisation’s unique context and needs.