Fraud prevention is about to get more complicated with penalties rising sharply for U.K. organizations. Starting Sept. 1, larger businesses will be liable to criminal prosecution if any of their employees–or an agent, subsidiary, or other “associated person”–commits fraud that is intended to benefit the company.

Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine...