Automatic prompts and alerts
Set up system prompts and alerts to warn users when information is inconsistent or irregular.
This control targets both internal and external fraud risks.
Examples
Examples of this control include:
- informing users or claimants upfront about their obligations
- alerting users when transactions do not comply with policy, e.g. when the cheapest available fare is not selected
- requiring an applicant to provide correct information in an online form, e.g. alerting a user when an applicant mistakenly enters a future date for their date of birth
- requiring employees or applicants to confirm the accuracy of information provided.
Risks from control gap
A lack of automatic prompts and alerts can lead to:
- fraudsters feeling more confident that their actions will not be detected
- individuals deliberately or accidentally not disclosing information that could affect entitlements
- individuals deliberately or accidentally providing false information or evidence to support a request or claim
- fraudulent activity being carried out using an individual’s account or identity without their knowledge
- increased opportunities for omissions and errors.
Assessing effectiveness
Methods to evaluate the effectiveness of this control include:
- checking that prompts and alerts are easy for users to understand
- confirming that prompts and alerts are consistent across systems
- confirming that prompts and alerts are implemented correctly by doing pressure testing or a process walkthrough
- confirming if claims still contain errors despite the prompts and alerts that exist
- measuring behaviour before and after the implementation of prompts and alerts
- confirming that the number of requests with errors has decreased after prompts and alerts have been implemented
- confirming that employees have received prompts or alerts and know what to do in response
- consulting with behavioural insights experts to see if they identified a change in behaviour after prompts and alerts were implemented.
Complementary controls
Other capability, prevention, detection and response controls that can enhance this control’s effectiveness:
Related fraudster personas
Types of behaviour this control is designed to mitigate:
The deceiver
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The exploiter
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The impersonator
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