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Build a Fraud-Risk + Controls Plan and a Staff Cash-Handling SOP

The capstone project for Fraud Prevention for Small Businesses — a free Business course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A single shareable link (Google Doc or similar) or pasted text containing a fraud-risk and controls plan with five clearly labelled sections: (1) a short business context, (2) the top 5 fraud risks across insiders/customers/suppliers with naira impact, (3) the specific control(s) that block each risk, (4) a one-page staff cash-handling SOP in plain language, and (5) an 'if fraud happens' response section (evidence, bank, EFCC/Police, platform, insider handling).

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose a sample Nigerian small business to plan for — for example a provision store, pharmacy, restaurant, electronics shop, POS/agency-banking agent, or salon. In one short paragraph, describe it: what it sells, how it takes payment (cash, transfer, POS, cheque), how many staff handle money, and who currently checks the books. This sets the context for everything that follows, so make it realistic and specific.
  2. Identify and write up the TOP 5 fraud risks for this business, deliberately covering all three directions from Lesson 1 — insiders (e.g. cashier skimming, fake refunds), customers (e.g. fake transfer alert, POS reversal, bounced cheque, overpayment), and suppliers/outsiders (e.g. vanishing supplier, payment-redirect 'we changed our account' scam, phishing/account takeover). For each risk, state in one or two lines exactly how the business could lose money to it, with a realistic naira figure.
  3. For EACH of the 5 risks, write the specific control(s) that block it, drawing on the course — for example: confirm payment landed in our own app before releasing goods; separation of duties; daily cash reconciliation with the cashier present; approval limits for refunds/payments; verify a new supplier (CAC, references, 'name + scam' search) and prefer staged/on-delivery payment; confirm any 'changed account' by calling a known number; 2FA and a password manager on business accounts; least-access for staff. Be concrete about who does what and when.
  4. Write a one-page STAFF CASH-HANDLING SOP in plain, simple language your team could actually follow, covering at minimum: how to confirm a payment has truly landed (in our own bank app / POS settlement) before releasing goods or change; the rule for amounts above a set threshold needing owner/supervisor approval; how cash is recorded for every sale and how the till is counted and reconciled at close each day (with the cashier present); the never-share-OTP/card/BVN rule; how refunds, voids and 'no sale' are approved and logged; and what to do if something looks wrong. Keep it to about one page and post-on-the-wall clear.
  5. Add a short 'If fraud happens' section based on Lesson 7: the exact steps your business will take — preserve evidence (what to screenshot/record), call the bank on a trusted number to recall/freeze, report to the EFCC and the Nigeria Police, report the scam account to the platform, and how you'll handle a suspected insider case quietly and fairly. Include the key contacts/channels you'd use.
  6. Put everything into one clear document (Google Doc or similar) with labelled sections (Business Context; Top 5 Risks; Controls for Each Risk; One-Page Cash-Handling SOP; If Fraud Happens). Use real Nigerian tools, channels and naira figures throughout. Set sharing to 'anyone with the link can view' and submit the link, OR paste the full plan as text. Make it specific and practical enough that a real owner could hand the SOP to staff tomorrow.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Top 5 risks identified across all three directions (insiders, customers, suppliers/outsiders), each with a realistic naira impact and a clear explanation of how money is lost25%
Each risk is matched to specific, correct controls from the course (confirm-before-release, separation of duties, daily reconciliation, approval limits, supplier verification, 2FA/access control), concrete about who does what and when30%
One-page cash-handling SOP is clear, plain-language and genuinely usable by staff — covers confirming payment landed, daily till reconciliation, approval thresholds, OTP rule, and refund/void logging25%
'If fraud happens' response is accurate and Nigerian-specific — preserve evidence, bank recall/freeze, report to EFCC/Police and the platform, and fair, lawful handling of insider cases10%
Realism and specificity — a real, specific sample business with real Nigerian tools, channels and naira figures, practical enough to use tomorrow10%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Fraud Prevention for Small Businesses before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Fraud Prevention for Small Businesses is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Fraud Prevention for Small Businesses is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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