The biennial 2007 Global Economic Crime Survey found that most companies are overconfident that their control measures will limit their exposure to fraud in the future. Only 12 percent of U.S. firms consider it likely they will be victims of fraud during the next two years. 

Significant changes within an organization, such as mergers, acquisitions, and global expansion initiatives are likely to increase the risk of economic crime. Bribery, corruption and intellectual property (IP) infringement were the biggest challenges facing U.S. companies when expanding into other markets.

While controls are shown to be a substantial component of an efficient crime prevention program, many U.S. companies are adopting a proactive approach to combating economic crime that includes a focus on establishing a strong corporate culture of transparency. Approximately one third (33 percent) of the crime reported arose out of a whistleblower report or other internal 'tip-off.'

Sarbanes-Oxley was also stated as an effective method of deterring crime. Accounting related fraud in the U.S. has decreased from 36 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2007, perhaps a reflection of that Sarbanes-Oxley had on controls over financial reporting. Seventy-one percent of U.S. respondents believed that Sarbanes-Oxley is at least marginally effective in detecting economic crime while 61 percent believed it is at least marginally effective for detecting economic crime originating outside of the company.