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.

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.

From detection to conviction: Inside a fraud investigation 

12 - 1pm, Monday 16 November 2026

Following the opening address by Ruth Money on the importance of preventing fraud and corruption and the broader harm these offences cause, this session will provide a practical case study of fraud offending from detection through to conviction.

Margaret will examine how the fraud was carried out, how it was identified, and the role of the financial investigation in uncovering the full extent of the offending. She will discuss the investigation process, prosecution, conviction, and, if available by Fraud Awareness Week, the sentencing outcome.

By taking participants inside a real investigation, this session will demonstrate how fraud impacts victims, organisations, and communities, while highlighting the importance of effective prevention, detection, and response measures. 

This session will examine a fraud offending, including how it was carried out, the financial investigation, prosecution, and conviction, and, if available by Fraud Awareness Week, the sentencing outcome. Margaret will also share practical insights from the investigation and discuss lessons relevant to organisations managing fraud risks.

Register here (external link)

The true cost of fraud – When communities pay the price 

12-1pm, Friday 20 November 2026

A trusted employee exploited weaknesses in internal controls to steal over $1 million in trust funds. The case highlights how inadequate oversight and poor segregation of duties can create opportunities for significant fraud.

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 2025 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!