Some 26 per cent of Irish businesses have experienced fraud in the last 12 months, a new survey has found.
Ninety-one firms were interviewed here for Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s global economic crime survey, which surveyed 3,000 respondents in 54 countries.
While the percentage of Irish businesses reporting incidences of fraud was slightly below the global average of 30 per cent, the survey finds that fraud is proving more costly to Irish businesses than their European counterparts.
More than half of Irish respondents reported that the cost of fraud had increased in the last year, compared with a European average of one-third.
Irish firms also appear to be more lenient on employees who have engaged in fraudulent activity.
The report also points to an absence of a whistleblowing culture. No respondents cited it as a means of detection, compared to a European average of 5 per cent.