Protecting taxpayer dollars is the focus of a seminar headed by New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli at the Ontario County ARC Tuesday. The program teaches not-for-profit leaders how to detect fraud within their organizations.
"If someone is working in the organization and suddenly they have a lot more money to spend, fancier car, other kinds of items one might consider a luxury or excessive to the lifestyle they usually have maybe that's an opportunity to say 'gee, where might that be coming from?' That's especially where they might have some responsibility of the finances of the organization."
Speaking at the Ontario County ARC, DiNapoli says of the state's $132 billion 2011-2012 budget, $6.6 billion is in potential fraud.
"Now more than ever it's imperative for your agencies to be diligent, focused and skilled in spotting the warning signs of waste, fraud and abuse," DiNapoli says. "The goal is to help your organization avoid being victims of fraud and ensure that taxpayer dollar are being spent properly."
DiNapoli also spoke about solutions to delays in contract payments and approvals from state agencies to not-for-profit organizations.
The Collaborative, a partnership of a dozen non-for-profits serving the developmentally disabled in the Finger Lakes, sponsored the event.