“If we had done anything differently in Washington state, we would have done it faster,” said Hammersburg. “The key message is that fraud prevention – dealing with risk and program integrity – is not a cost issue, it’s a saving. When you can truly quantify the positive impact to the bottom line of a company or government agency, you shift the recognition that this is not an expense but that it’s a saving.” Some government organizations may be concerned that a rigorous program to shine a light on the underground economy will shine a brighter light on how much they didn’t know until now. Don’t let that stop you, said Hammersburg. “You have the opportunity to really get ahead of it now. Turn a risk into an opportunity going forward.”
