69% of survey respondents in Türkiye expect corporate fraud risk to rise
The Business Fraud Perception Survey 2026, conducted by FutureBright Group for Cerebra in collaboration with the Ethics and Reputation Association (TEİD), has been published. Drawing on the views, experiences and assessments of more than 1,000 senior executives and professionals, the survey finds that 69% expect economic conditions to increase fraud risk over the next 12 months. Four in ten see a high likelihood of fraud occurring in their own organisation, while one-third are undecided.
Participants came from different sectors, company sizes, management levels and functions. The research explores perceptions of internal fraud risk across a broad range of issues, including economic conditions, ethical culture, reporting channels, internal controls, technology and working models.
Economic pressure is increasing fraud risk
While 63% believe that the current economic crisis and inflation increase fraud risk in their organisations, the figure rises to 69% when looking ahead to the next 12 months. Among economic drivers, income inequality and employees’ sense of entitlement account for 37%, followed by high inflation and loss of purchasing power at 28%. Taken together, these factors mean that 65% associate fraud risk with economic pressure experienced or perceived by employees.
A total of 41% rate the likelihood of fraud in their organisation as high or very high, while 33% are undecided. Financial pressure and personal circumstances are the leading causes cited, at 39%, followed by weak internal controls and a low risk of detection at 24%, and weak ethical values and personal rationalisation at 22%.
Reporting intentions do not always become action
Some 79% say they would definitely report an ethical breach or fraud, and 16% would probably do so, bringing the stated willingness to report to 95%. Yet among those who witnessed something they considered fraud in the past 12 months, only 55% used formal reporting channels. Another 32% shared the situation informally, while 13% did not report it at all.
Among those hesitant to report, the main reasons are the belief that management would not take the necessary action (23%), fear of retaliation (20%) and confidentiality concerns (17%). The findings suggest that providing a channel alone is insufficient: employees need to believe they can speak safely, will be protected and will see their reports lead to action.
Women express greater confidentiality concerns
The share who reported witnessed misconduct through formal channels is 60% among men and 50% among women. The proportion who made no report is 17% among women and 10% among men. Among those hesitant to report, 21% of women and 11% of men do not trust that their identity would remain confidential. Reports of misconduct are considered the most effective detection method by 38% of women and 44% of men.
Senior and middle management see ethical culture differently
Senior management’s positive view of ethical culture is not shared to the same extent by middle management. Positive assessments of senior management’s ethical leadership fall from 82% among senior managers to 63% among middle managers. Positive assessments of whether ethical breaches are treated equally fall from 74% to 56%, respectively. Similar gaps appear around sanctions and protection from retaliation. The results point to a significant difference between the culture leaders design, or believe exists, and how others in the organisation experience it.
The greatest costs extend beyond financial losses
Loss of corporate reputation and trust is seen as the most significant impact of fraud by 27%, followed by financial losses at 25% and damage to employee motivation and internal trust at 22%. Nearly half therefore identify trust and human relationships as the principal area of harm. There is also strong agreement about deliberate concealment: 98% say management knowingly hiding or covering up a fraud case would undermine their trust in the company.
Strong internal controls rank first for prevention at 43%, followed by ethical leadership at 21%. For detection, reporting or whistleblowing leads at 41%, followed by internal audit at 32%.
Moving from awareness to a working system
Commenting on the findings, Cerebra Founder and CEO Fikret Sebilcioğlu said: “The fundamental need revealed by the research is to move from awareness to implementation. That implementation must become a visible, consistent and sustainable system that builds trust throughout the organisation. Controls need to work in practice, ethical leadership must be visible in everyday decisions, employees must feel confident voicing concerns, reports must lead to results, and technology must make risks visible earlier. A strong anti-fraud structure is possible only when people, culture, controls and oversight mechanisms work together and complement one another.”
Aslı Ertekin, Vice Chair of the Ethics and Reputation Association (TEİD), said: “Success in combating fraud depends not only on the quality of the systems in place, but also on how employees and managers perceive the issue, where they see risks, how much they trust their organisation and whether they can speak up when they encounter irregularities. Ethical culture takes shape on this foundation of perceptions. Measuring fraud perceptions is therefore as important as policies and procedures in helping organisations understand their own reality. We hope the research will help them define areas for improvement more clearly and move beyond reactive approaches towards preventive mechanisms centred on culture.”
