Executives also noted that hard times can add another set of practical problems to containing fraud and other crimes. These include: staff reductions that might mean less attention paid to internal controls (62%); management's undivided focus on business survival (49%); and the increased workload of the internal audit group (34%).

On a global scale, companies whose financial performance improved or showed no change experienced the same incidence of economic crimes as did companies whose financial performance suffered last year, according to the survey. However, in the United States, 48% of companies whose financial performance declined experienced economic crimes, versus just 17% of companies with stable performance.

Meanwhile, the U.S.government has increased its focus on enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). At latest count, the U.S. Department of Justice has 130 open FCPA cases, says Manny Alas, a partner in PwC's investigations practice, who notes that companies' expansion into emerging markets and their dealings with local officials in those countries raises the risk of inappropriate transactions. “This is now a board-level issue,” he says.

The continued efforts by both the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to ferret out bribe-givers have increased companies' need to assess the credibility of business partners, and that's making third-party due diligence a hot topic, Alas says. “While the catchphrase used to be, 'Do you know your customer?'” he says, “right now it's, 'Do you know your third party?”