This book covers every aspect of forensic accounting, anti-fraud control systems, and fraud investigations. The author uses his own case experience to guide the reader through each phase of a forensic accounting assignment and fraud investigation. The book opens with an explanation of what happened to a company that was ensnared in a huge commodity purchasing scheme. Using his knowledge and experience gained over 40 years, the author illustrates that unexpected fraud occurrences can happen to any company, in any industry. Additionally, the author explains the current white-collar crime threats that organizations face every day, as well as legal issues that are often implicated in forensic accounting and fraud investigation projects. Electronic and non-electronic evidence gathering is also covered in detail with illustrative examples. One chapter is devoted entirely to the often misunderstood, but extremely important, subject of witness interviews. It provides the correct approach to the analysis and correlation of evidence in determining findings and conclusions of an investigation. Another chapter is devoted to proper report writing. The author provides detailed guidance on presenting findings to a variety of audiences, including management, a board, law enforcement, and at trials and hearings.

Become the forensic analytics expert in your organization using effective and efficient data analysis tests to find anomalies, biases, and potential fraud--the updated new edition Forensic Analytics reviews the methods and techniques that forensic accountants can use to detect intentional and unintentional errors, fraud, and biases. This updated second edition shows accountants and auditors how analyzing their corporate or public sector data can highlight transactions, balances, or subsets of transactions or balances in need of attention. These tests are made up of a set of initial high-level overview tests followed by a series of more focused tests. These focused tests use a variety of quantitative methods including Benford's Law, outlier detection, the detection of duplicates, a comparison to benchmarks, time-series methods, risk-scoring, and sometimes simply statistical logic. The tests in the new edition include the newly developed vector variation score that quantifies the change in an array of data from one period to the next. The goals of the tests are to either produce a small sample of suspicious transactions, a small set of transaction groups, or a risk score related to individual transactions or a group of items. The new edition includes over two hundred figures. Each chapter, where applicable, includes one or more cases showing how the tests under discussion could have detected the fraud or anomalies. The new edition also includes two chapters each describing multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and the insights that can be learned from those examples. These interesting real-world examples help to make the text accessible and understandable for accounting professionals and accounting students without rigorous backgrounds in mathematics and statistics. Emphasizing practical applications, the new edition shows how to use either Excel or Access to run these analytics tests. The book also has some coverage on using Minitab, IDEA, R, and Tableau to run forensic-focused tests. The use of SAS and Power BI rounds out the software coverage. The software screenshots use the latest versions of the software available at the time of writing. This authoritative book: Describes the use of statistically-based techniques including Benford's Law, descriptive statistics, and the vector variation score to detect errors and anomalies Shows how to run most of the tests in Access and Excel, and other data analysis software packages for a small sample of the tests

The existence and persistence of high profile alleged financial statement fraud (FSF) have negatively affected the safety and soundness of financial markets and investors confident in public financial information. Forensic accounting has advanced as an important and rewarding field of accounting to prevent, detect and correct FSF. There has been significant demand for and intertest in forensic accounting as well substantial growth in both investigation and litigation services. The first volume addresses the relevance and importance of forensic accounting and fraud examination as well as the framework and structure of forensic accounting practices. The author presents an introduction to forensic accounting and financial statement fraud examination and their relevance and importance to businesses, financial markets, economies and society. Also discussed is forensic accounting opportunities, skills, and services; forensic accounting profession; and professional responsibilities and codes of conduct for forensic accountants. Finally, forensic accounting best practices, education, and research are touched on.

Forensic accounting is gaining considerable attention as a rewarding and exciting field of accounting. Forensic accountants perform both fraud and non-fraud services. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) released its proposed new standards for its members who perform investigation and litigation forensic accounting services in December 2018. This second volume addresses fraud and non-fraud forensic accounting practice and performance. The author discusses forensic accounting roles and processes; forensic accounting techniques roles and responsibilities of corporate gatekeepers, including forensic accountants in creating a corporate culture of integrity and competency in preventing and discovering financial statement fraud. Also presented are challenges and opportunities in forensic accounting, and emerging issues in fraud investigation.

A practical advantage for entry-level fraud examiners with start-to-finish casework Fraud Examination Casebook with Documents provides critical practice for students and new CPAs; criminal and insurance investigators; and attorneys seeking additional guidance on real-world fraud investigation. With five cases that include over 100 pages of documentation, this guide helps you put your conceptual knowledge to work as you conduct full-length Fraud Examinations from predication through report. Short instructional narratives guide you through tools like horizontal and vertical analysis, report writing, and other important tasks, while Excel templates streamline the process and kick start your investigation. Multiple-choice questions help you gauge your understanding and practical mastery, while expert guidance throughout prompts you to draw on your existing knowledge and apply it to casework. With a focus on asset misappropriation and financial statement fraud, these cases provide highly relevant experience for real-world practice. Learning concept isn't always enough to do the job effectively; "knowing" is different from "applying," yet few practical resources exist for new and aspiring fraud examiners--until now. This book provides the much-needed practice that helps examiners polish their skills, with expert guidance every step of the way. Conduct actual Fraud Examinations Perform horizontal and vertical analyses Review checks and decode debit card transactions Examine adjustments to electronic records Perform simple forensic data analytics Vouch to/from documentation Write complete Fraud Examination reports Prepare court-ready schedules and audio-visuals As you work your way through the cases, you'll develop the skills and instinct experienced examiners rely upon every day. You'll hone your analytical edge and master the essentials of report writing, leaving you fully equipped to conduct a thorough investigation and deliver your findings clearly, comprehensively, and authoritatively. Fraud Examination Casebook with Documents is a vital resource for students and new fraud examiners seeking a practical advantage in real-world skills.