METHODS OF COUNTERACTING THE RISKS OF CASH FRAUD IN ENSURING THE ECONOMIC SECURITY OF A TRADING ENTERPRISE AND PROTECTING CONSUMER RIGHTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of countering cash fraud in the field of retail trade and ensuring the economic security of the trading enterprise itself. At the same time, the role of such activities in the field of consumer protection is outlined. It is noted that fraud in the field of trade is most often committed by the employees of the trading enterprise itself, and sometimes in collusion with other parties. Today, the development of effective methods to combat cash register fraud is a strategic goal of every successful trading company. This is due to the fact that fraud aimed at misappropriating the organisation's assets ranks first in terms of the number of crimes committed (70% of all economic crimes) and is the most pressing problem for modern entrepreneurship. According to International Standard on Auditing ISA 240, fraud refers to intentional actions by one or more individuals among the organisation's management, executive staff, employees, as well as third parties who resort to deception to obtain benefits. In other words, the foreign definition of fraud covers a wider range of illegal acts, since in the Criminal Code of Ukraine this crime falls under the articles on "fraud", "abuse of authority" and "commercial bribery". As a mechanism to combat cash register fraud, a report has been developed analysing the qualifying characteristics of cash register fraud, designed not only to serve as a tool for analysing methods of countering fraud using cash register equipment, but also to help commercial enterprises develop a plan and measures to minimise losses from fraud that has already been committed and to prevent potential criminal acts. With the help of this document, the management of the enterprise will be able to understand what to pay more attention to, what methods to use and what fraudulent actions need to be stopped first. The author proposes a vision of methods aimed at developing in the employees of a commercial enterprise the necessary human qualities of rejecting illegal actions and understanding the extent of their responsibility for the offence committed. At the same time, the management of a retail enterprise can choose priority areas for ensuring the technical component of economic security, which may not cover all of the company's problem areas, but will help to combat this type of offence. As the enterprise develops, management may implement other technical methods to combat cash register fraud. However, a retail enterprise is not immune to a recurrence of this situation in the absence of preventive measures to prevent fraud involving cash register equipment.