EP410: Hubert Johnson - The Cost Of Fraud & How To Prevent It

“If someone is asking for immediate payment, that’s a huge red flag. Telling you to 'go to your bank, buy a gift card’ or any kind of payment outside of the ordinary, be very, very weary. When it comes to taxes, you can always walk into an IRS office or state office. Go to the source.” -Hubert Johnson   Fraud is one of the biggest problems facing business owners. It is hard enough to keep up with all the changes in compliance law, that when we are then faced with identity or money fraud, it can seem an insurmountable problem.    But as with most things, these issues will only hit us hard if we don’t prepare for them or ignore them and hope they will go away. Education is the key to prevention, whether we do it one-to-one, or build community groups, sharing knowledge is the surest way to prevent more people falling into the trap of fraud.   Hubert Johnson, tax attorney and owner of Guardian Tax Law, is this week's featured guest. He has spent his career helping thousands of clients and businesses find resolutions and peace of mind when dealing with tax issues. In this episode, Hubert and Michael explore the concerning rise of fraud, how to protect yourself, and the value of working together to face the challenges of the future.    The cost of cleaning up a problem is often far more than the cost of making sure the problem never occurs. If you want to defend yourself against fraud but aren’t sure where to begin, this is the episode to get you started.    During this interview, you'll learn... How to protect ourselves from ever-increasing fraud  The value of keeping up to date with compliance changes  The importance of community in facing the challenges of fraud  To find out more about Hubert, click here.   Connect with him on LinkedIn.   Time Stamps   01:46 - Hubert discusses his career journey  02:42 - Protecting ourselves from identity fraud  08:59 - Spotting the scam  18:45 - The power of community in overcoming fraud  20:28 - Understanding changes to tax rules  26:52 - Getting payroll right  31:33 - Investing in business protection   38:17 - Learning more about Hubert