“Nobody will find out” and other phrases commonly used in emails by fraudsters

Ernst & Young says a study it conducted in collaboration with the FBI has turned up 3,000 words and phrases commonly used in emails by people committing fraud, from the obvious (“cover up”) to the obscure (“special fees”) to the cinematic (“call my mobile”).

The accounting firm suggests that companies interested in rooting out fraud should proactively monitor employee email for those terms—using software developed by Ernst & Young, of course. We’d note that you’ll only catch third-rate fraudsters that way, though instant-message transcripts recently released in the Libor scandal suggest there are a lot of those.

Here are the top 15 terms used in emails discussing fraud:

1. Cover up
2. Write off
3. Illegal
4. Failed investment
5. Nobody will find out
6. Grey area
7. They owe it to me
8. Do not volunteer information
9. Not ethical
10. Off the books
11. Backdate
12. No inspection
13. Pull earnings forward
14. Special fees
15. Friendly payments