ACFE, Grant Thornton Team on Anti-Fraud Blueprint
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
By offering a clear, actionable framework, the Blueprint enables organizations to move from fraud awareness to measurable risk reduction, protecting financial performance and stakeholder trust.
Key Takeaways
- •Blueprint offers step-by-step fraud risk management actions.
- •Integrates AI/ML insights into fraud detection strategies.
- •Includes Grant Thornton’s five‑level maturity assessment model.
- •Provides checklists and questions for practical implementation.
- •Targets organizations of all sizes to strengthen governance.
Pulse Analysis
Fraud remains a pervasive threat across industries, prompting regulators and executives to seek more disciplined risk‑management approaches. The new Anti‑Fraud Blueprint, co‑created by the ACFE and Grant Thornton, builds directly on the 2023 Fraud Risk Management Guide, translating high‑level principles into day‑to‑day tactics. By embedding detailed questions, checklists, and step‑by‑step actions, the Blueprint gives finance leaders a concrete roadmap to assess current controls, prioritize gaps, and allocate resources efficiently, regardless of company size.
A standout feature of the Blueprint is its focus on emerging technologies. It outlines how artificial intelligence and machine learning can detect anomalous patterns faster than traditional methods, while also warning of new attack vectors that these tools may introduce. The inclusion of Grant Thornton’s updated Enterprise Anti‑Fraud Maturity Assessment Model adds a diagnostic layer, allowing firms to benchmark their anti‑fraud capabilities across five maturity stages—from reactive, ad‑hoc practices to a proactive, continuously optimized leadership state. This model helps organizations chart a realistic progression, aligning technology adoption with governance improvements.
Beyond technology, the Blueprint emphasizes governance and accountability. Its practical checklists and structured questions encourage cross‑functional collaboration, ensuring that fraud risk considerations are embedded in board discussions, audit plans, and operational workflows. Companies that adopt the Blueprint can expect clearer reporting lines, stronger internal controls, and a culture that treats fraud prevention as a strategic priority. As fraud schemes evolve, the Blueprint offers a living framework that can be refreshed, positioning firms to stay ahead of threats while safeguarding reputation and shareholder value.
ACFE, Grant Thornton team on Anti-Fraud Blueprint
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has partnered with Grant Thornton to create an Anti‑Fraud Blueprint to help organizations uncover fraudulent activity and avoid financial losses.
The guidance in the Anti‑Fraud Blueprint, released Thursday, builds upon the principles in the second edition of the Fraud Risk Management Guide, released in 2023 by the ACFE and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. It includes step‑by‑step actions, points of focus, questions and checklists to help leaders understand, assess and implement fraud‑risk‑management programs suited to the specific needs of their organization.
“Fraud impacts organizations of all sizes every day, which sets off a chain reaction that impacts finances, stakeholders and employees,” said ACFE president John Gill in a statement. “By giving organizational leadership and anti‑fraud experts a clear plan of action, we hope the Anti‑Fraud Blueprint becomes the centerpiece around which organizations protect themselves from the potential dangers of fraud today and for years to come.”
The blueprint shows how artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming how fraud risks evolve as these technologies advance at a fast pace. Each section of the blueprint includes components to help users apply the guidance in a structured, practical way. The points of focus bridge the gap between concepts from the blueprint and the 2023 guide, helping anti‑fraud professionals build and expand their expertise. There’s a list of questions for readers to consider as they work through the blueprint and relate key principles to their own organizations. A checklist offers a review of concepts presented in each section to reinforce the information and detail next steps.
The Anti‑Fraud Blueprint also includes an updated version of Grant Thornton’s Enterprise Anti‑Fraud Maturity Assessment Model to help organizations understand both their current state and their desired future state of anti‑fraud capability.
“Organizations today are facing increasingly complex and fast‑moving fraud risks, and many are looking for a practical way to move from awareness to action,” said Priya Sarjoo, national managing partner of cyber and risk advisory at Grant Thornton, in a statement. “The Anti‑Fraud Blueprint helps organizations assess where they are on their fraud risk‑management journey and provides a clear, structured path to strengthen governance, embed accountability and mature their anti‑fraud capabilities over time.”
The model brings an effective fraud‑risk‑management program to life by illustrating a clear progression of maturity over time, moving from an ad‑hoc approach—where activities are mostly reactive and informal—through initial and repeatable stages marked by growing structure and consistency. Organizations can then advance to a managed state, characterized by formal governance and performance oversight, and ultimately to a leadership state, where fraud‑risk‑management is embedded, proactive and continuously optimized. The five maturity levels provide a practical roadmap for strengthening anti‑fraud programs in a deliberate, measurable and sustainable way.
Editor‑in‑chief, AccountingToday.com
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