Fraud Awareness Week 2026

This year Fraud Awareness Week (FAW26) will be held in New Zealand from 15–21 November 2026. The week continues to grow as a global movement promoting education, collaboration and action against fraud.

This year’s theme, The true cost of fraud often goes unseen – don't overlook it, highlights that the impacts of fraud are often hidden, difficult to quantify and may continue long after any financial losses have been identified or recovered.

Get involved to find out how you can help protect yourself, your workplace and your community from fraud harm.

Monday webinar 

Wednesday webinar

Friday webinar

Visual resources

Internal communications

Quiz

Counter fraud guidance

Counter Fraud Centre

Fraud Awareness Week 2026 webinar series

Learn from experts and hear real-world insights. Three webinars will be held across the week, hosted by the Serious Fraud Office.

Fraud in Focus: Victims, Offenders and the Road to Justice

12 - 1pm, Monday 16 November 2026

This year, Fraud Awareness Week will be opened by Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money.

Ruth Money is a respected victim advocate and recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to victim advocacy. She has spent more than a decade supporting victims of crime and their whānau, while working to improve justice system policies, services, and outcomes. Through her work alongside victims across Aotearoa New Zealand, she has seen firsthand the lasting impacts that crime can have on individuals, families, and communities.

Ruth's experience serves as an important reminder that every crime has a human cost. Fraud and scams are no exception, with harm often extending far beyond the financial loss.

Fraud and scams are among the most significant criminal threats facing communities today. Detective Superintendent Dave Lynch from the New Zealand Police Financial Crime Group will discuss the actions being taken across New Zealand and internationally to combat these crimes, including prevention, disruption, intelligence sharing, victim protection, and cross-border cooperation. The presentation will highlight the partnerships and collective efforts required to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated organised crime groups. 

Register here (external link)

The true cost of fraud and corruption in the Pacific

12 - 1pm, Wednesday 18 November 2026

Andie Driu, an experienced prosecutor and anti-corruption leader with nearly 30 years of experience across the Pacific justice sector, will explore the impacts and consequences of fraud and corruption on governments, organisations, and communities.

Andie Driu served in senior prosecutorial and advisory roles across Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Nauru. She has worked extensively to strengthen integrity, accountability, and responses to serious fraud and corruption throughout the region.

This session will explore how fraud and corruption erode trust, divert resources from essential services, and affect communities, while highlighting the role of effective prevention and integrity measures.

Andie Driu will also highlight regional counter-fraud and anti-corruption efforts and discuss the importance of prevention measures that reflect the unique challenges and realities of Pacific nations.

Register here(external link)

Beyond the financial loss – when communities pay the price 

1-2pm, Friday 20 November 2026

Dan Eaton, Deputy Chief Executive at the Serious Fraud Office, will conclude Fraud Awareness Week 2026 by reflecting on the broader impacts of fraud and corruption on individuals, communities, organisations, and public trust. He will also discuss how individuals, organisations, and public institutions can help prevent harm, strengthen integrity, and make it harder for fraud and corruption to occur. 

In this webinar, you’ll also hear from a SFO forensic accountant and an investigating lawyer who will share insights from a recent investigation and prosecution involving a trusted employee who stole more than $1 million in trust funds over a six-month period, diverting money intended to support vulnerable members of the community.

The offending had far-reaching consequences, affecting the organisation's finances, reputation, staff, stakeholders, and the people who relied on its services. 

Register here (external link)

Fraud Awareness Week 2026 internal communications

We have drafted content for agencies to use in their internal communications leading up to and during FAW26. This messaging can be tailored to your organisation and includes information about events, calls to action and links to a wide range of counter fraud resources. 

• Download draft articles to email to staff or post on your organisation’s intranet  [DOCX, 59 KB]
• Download draft emails to all staff or senior leadership [DOCX, 44 KB]

Fraud Awareness Week 2026 quiz

• Fraud Awareness Week 2026 quiz: check back on 16 November from 9am for the link 

Fraud Awareness Week 2026 visual resources

There is a range of visual resources available for anyone to use for FAW26. Upload your organisation’s logo to the posters, and mention @SFO or tag #FAW26 in your socials so we can see how everything looks!

Counter fraud guidance

The Counter Fraud Centre offers a range of guidance on topics from fraudster personas to effective counter fraud messaging. Use these resources to help build an effective counter fraud and anti-corruption culture in your organisation and maintain public confidence in the integrity of New Zealand’s public sector. 

Start the conversation

• Answer key questions to see what the true impacts of fraud could be for your organisation

Share real-world examples

• Read case studies that tell the stories of New Zealand organisations that have been defrauded

Think like a fraudster

• Consider the common methods or personas fraudsters use when committing financial crimes

Trust is not a control

• See what effective counter fraud approaches your organisation could put in place to reduce the risk of fraud

Brush up your knowledge

• Complete our series of online learning modules to strengthen your fraud awareness

Identify the weak points

• Carry out a fraud risk scan to identify potential areas of fraud risk within your organisation

Join us

Nominate a member of your organisation to join our local or central government Community of Practice to build counter fraud capability across our public sector. We meet regularly to discuss counter fraud initiatives in our agencies and hear what others are doing across the sector.

Thanks for getting involved in Fraud Awareness Week 2026!