Segregation of duties is a key internal control that aims to prevent fraud and errors by ensuring that no single individual has the authority to execute two or more conflicting sensitive transactions or functions. In the accounts payable vendor payment cycle, segregation of duties involves separating the tasks of vendor setup, procurement, invoice approval, and payment processing1. This way, an employee cannot create a fictitious vendor and issue a payment to themselves or their accomplices without being detected by another person. Therefore, the best way to prevent fraudulent payments is to implement segregation of duties between the vendorsetup and payment processing. References: 1: Segregation of Duties in the Accounts Payable Vendor Payment Cycle for SMBs - Now With a Podcast! - Debra R Richardson : What is Separation of duties
- University of California, Berkeley