How people rationalize fraud - Kelly Richmond Pope

Kako ljudi opravdavaju prevaru - Keli Ričmond Poup (Kelly Richmond Pope)

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Milenka Okuka

If you ask people whether they think stealing is wrong,

Ukoliko ljude pitate da li je pogrešno krasti,

most of them would answer, "Yes."

većina bi odgovorila da jeste.

And yet, in 2013, organizations all over the world

Ipak, u 2013. organizacije širom sveta izgubile su

lost an estimated total of 3.7 trillion dollars to fraud,

ukupno oko 3,7 biliona dolara zbog prevare

which includes crimes like embezzlement,

što uključuje zločine poput pronevere,

pyramid schemes,

piramidalnih prevara

and false insurance claims.

i lažnih prijava za osiguranje.

This wasn't just the work of a few bad apples.

Ovo nije bilo delo samo nekoliko mućaka.

The truth is that many people are susceptible

Istina je da je mnogo ljudi podložno,

not only to the temptation to commit fraud

ne samo iskušenju da počine prevaru

but to convincing themselves that they've done nothing wrong.

već i da uvere sami sebe da nisu uradili ništa pogrešno.

So why does fraud happen?

Zašto se onda dešava prevara?

While individual motivations may differ from case to case,

Iako se motivacija pojedinaca razlikuje od slučaja do slučaja,

the fraud triangle,

trougao prevare,

a model developed by criminologist Donald Cressey,

model koji je razvio kriminolog Donald Kresi,

shows three conditions that make fraud likely:

pokazuje tri uslova koja prevaru čine verovatnom:

pressure, opportunity, and rationalization.

pritisak, prilika i racionalizacija.

Pressure is often what motivates someone to engage in fraud to begin with.

Pritisak je često na prvom mestu ono što motiviše nekoga na prevaru.

It could be a personal debt,

To može biti lični dug,

an addiction,

zavisnost

an earnings quota,

ili kvota zarade,

a sudden job loss,

iznenadan gubitak posla

or an illness in the family.

ili bolest u porodici.

As for opportunity, many people in both public and private sectors

Što se prilike tiče, dosta ljudi iz javnih i privatnih sektora

have access to tools that enable them to commit and conceal fraud:

imaju pristup alatima koji im omogućavaju da počine i prikriju prevaru:

corporate credit cards,

firmine kreditne kartice,

internal company data,

unutrašnji podaci kompanije

or control over the budget.

ili kontrola nad budžetom.

The combination of pressure

Kombinacija pritiska

and being exposed to such opportunities on a daily basis

i svakodnevne izloženosti takvim prilikama

can create a strong temptation.

može stvoriti jako iskušenje.

But even with these two elements,

Ali čak i sa ova dva elementa,

most fraud still requires rationalization.

kod većine prevara potrebna je racionalizacija.

Many fraudsters are first time offenders,

Mnogi prevaranti prvi put čine zločin,

so in order to commit an act most would regard as wrong,

pa da bi počinili nešto što bi većina smatrala pogrešnim,

they need to justify it to themselves.

moraju sami sebi da to opravdaju.

Some feel entitled to the money because they are underpaid and overworked

Neki misle da imaju pravo na novac jer su plaćeni premalo, a rade previše

and others believe their fraud is victimless,

dok drugi veruju da njihova prevara nema žrtve

perhaps even planning to return the money once their crisis is resolved.

i možda čak planiraju da vrate novac kada se njihova kriza reši.

Some of the most common types of fraud

Neki najčešći tipovi prevare

don't even register as such to the perpetrator.

se počiniocima uopšte ne čine prevarom.

Examples include employees fudging time sheets or expense reports,

Na primer, prevare radnika na satnicama ili izveštajima o troškovima,

taxpayers failing to report cash earnings,

poreski obveznici koji ne prijavljuju zaradu u gotovini

or service providers overbilling insurance companies.

ili delatnici koji previše naplaćuju kompanijama za osiguranje.

Though these may seem small,

Iako se možda čine malim

and can sometimes only involve hundreds of dollars,

i ponekad se radi o sumi od samo nekoliko stotina dolara,

they all contribute to the big picture.

sve ove prevare doprinose ukupnoj slici.

And then there's fraud on a massive scale.

A tu je i prevara velikih razmera.

In 2003, Italian dairy food giant Parmalat went bankrupt

2003. italijanski gigant u oblasti mlečnih proizvoda Parmalat, bankrotirao je

after it was found to have fabricated a 4 billion dollar bank account

nakon što je otkriveno da su lažirali bankovni račun od 4 milijarde dolara

and falsified financial statements

i falsifikovali finansijske izveštaje

to hide the fact that its subsidiaries had been losing money.

kako bi sakrili činjenicu da su njihove kompanije ćerke gubile novac.

Because it was family controlled,

Pošto je kompaniju kontrolisala porodica,

corporate governance and regulator supervision were difficult,

akcionarsko vođenje i regulatorno nadgledanje bili su komplikovani

and the company likely hoped that the losses could be recouped

i kompanija se verovatno nadala da će se gubici nadoknaditi

before anyone found out.

pre nego što bilo ko sazna.

And it's not just corporate greed.

Nije to samo korporativna pohlepa.

Governments and non-profits are also susceptible to fraud.

Vlade i neprofitne organizacije takođe su podložne prevari.

During her time as City Comptroller for Dixon, Illinois,

Dok je bila glavni gradski kontrolor u Diksonu u Ilinoju,

Rita Crundwell embezzled over 53 million dollars.

Rita Krandvel proneverila je preko 53 miliona dolara.

Rita was one of the country's leading quarter horse breeders

Rita je bila jedna od vodećih uzgajivača američkih kvoter konja u zemlji

and winner of 52 world championships.

i pobednica 52 svetska šampionata.

But the cost of maintaining the herd ran to 200,000 dollars per month.

Ali troškovi održavanja krda iznosili su i do 200 000 dolara mesečno.

Because her position gave her complete control over city finances,

Pošto joj je pozicija davala potpunu kontrolu nad finansijama grada,

she was easily able to divert money

lako je mogla da preusmeri novac

to an account she used for private expenses,

na račun koji je koristila za privatne troškove

and the scheme went unnoticed for 20 years.

i šema je bila neprimećena 20 godina.

It is believed that Crundwell felt entitled to a lavish lifestyle

Veruje se da je Krandvelova mislila da ima pravo na luksuzni stil života

based on her position,

na osnovu svoje pozicije

and the notoriety her winnings brought to the city.

i ozloglašenosti koju su njene pobede donele gradu.

It's tempting to think of fraud as a victimless crime

Primamljivo je misliti o prevari kao o zločinu bez žrtve zato što

because corporations and civic institutions aren't people.

korporacije i građanske institucije nisu ljudi.

But fraud harms real people in virtually every case:

Ali prevara šteti stvarnim ljudima u bukvalno svim slučajevima:

the employees of Parmalat who lost their jobs,

radnici Parmalata izgubili su svoje poslove,

the citizens of Dixon whose taxes subsidized horse breeding,

građani Diksona svojim porezom plaćali su uzgoj konja,

the customers of companies which raise their prices to offset losses.

mušterije kompanija koje povećavaju svoje cene plaćaju više.

Sometimes the effects are obvious and devestating,

Efekti su ponekad očigledni i razorni,

like when Bernie Madoff caused thousands of people to lose their life savings.

kao kada je Berni Mejdof doveo do toga da hiljade ljudi izgubi svoje ušteđevine.

But often they're subtle and not easy to untangle.

Ali ponekad su suptilni i ne tako jednostavni za razmrsiti.

Yet someone, somewhere is left holding the bill.

Ipak, neko negde mora da plati račun.