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Fraud’s Finer Points: Accounts Receivable Fraud, Part Five: Other Accounting Manipulations This article is for ACFE members only


Interview with Eva Romatzeck. ACFE's European Council on Occupational Fraud and Abuse Takes First Steps
Fraudsters ignore country boundaries. "Fraud is becoming an international crime," says Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and Chairman of the ACFE. "Most Fortune 1000 countries have international subsidiaries, he says. Individual fraud schemes frequently involve the fraud occurring in one country and the proceeds of the crime being hidden in another. Anything that we can do to share information and make laws uniform will help."

Admission-seeking interviews & false confessions This article is for ACFE members only
The goal of the fraud examiner is to get to the truth in an investigation. After the perpetrator is identified, getting a confession is the icing on the cake - unless the confession turns out to be false. In this session, you'll learn about some of the research that has been done in this area, how to prevent false confessions, and how to respond to claims that a confession is false.

All Wired Up: Electronic Funds Transfers are Prime Fraud Targets This article is for ACFE members only
EFT systems are a prime target for fraud perpetrators wanting an immediate, enormous source of money.

An interview with Marta Andreasen, suspended chief accounting officer of the European Commission - Telling the Truth & Living in Limbo This article is for ACFE members only
Marta Andreasen, the European Commission’s chief accounting officer, awaits her professional fate after declaring the EC’s budget was “mas-sively open to fraud” and endures suspension because of her honesty.

Analyze this and that. FraudBasics: Critical Analytic Techniques This article is for ACFE members only
As fraudsters become more proficient, CFEs must be able to use equally sophisticated fraud examination skills. Here's how you can stay on top of your game with criminal analytic techniques.

Fraud Edge: Anti-Fraud Education. Standardizing nationally, expanding globally This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud is a universal problem that threatens the very underpinnings of business and government across the globe. While many professionals in the United States scramble to keep up with accounting changes mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 99 "Consideration of Fraud in Financial Statements," our international counterparts face similar challenges. In fact, our European neighbors have their own version of Enron - they call it Parmalat.

Audit Those Vendors This article is for ACFE members only
A vendor can be an entity’s best colleague or worst nemesis. Keep the relationship pleasant and successful by conducting vendor audits.

Avoiding the pitfalls of protected health information and fraud This article is for ACFE members only
Health care fraud is big business, and in more ways than just claims fraud. Protected health information (PHI) is subject to fraud and abuse. And, most people don't realize that the health benefit card is like a credit card vulnerable to thieves who steal it and use it for unlawful gain. Learn how current technology can be used for tracking how PHI is being abused and what you can do to prevent it.

Avoiding Embezzlement Embarrassment Or Worse This article is for ACFE members only
An entity can lose twice in an embezzlement case. Consider these 10 actions to avoid even more revenue loss during the fraud examination and litigation.

Back to School: Anti-fraud training for audit committees This article is for ACFE members only
SOX and other regulatory standards are forcing audit committees to learn how to prevent fraud. Here's what they need to learn and how you can help them learn it so they will escape litigation, and most importantly, tackle fraud.

The Barings Bank Case: Image in the Mirror This article is for ACFE members only
The numerous investigations into the current sensational corporate failures will expose many of the same operations control weaknesses that led to the collapse of the Barings Bank of London.

Basic Recipes for Slush Funds: Circumventing Internal Controls Through Slush Concoctions This article is for ACFE members only
In the beginning, the agency managers meant to use the 'unofficial' bank account for good and not for evil, as the comic book super-heroes would say.

Beating fraud through internal auditing: Walkin' & Talkin' This article is for ACFE members only
When auditors evaluate internal controls, the most common method used is the "checklist." However, a better way is "Walkin' and Talkin'." This method has often caused some auditors to change their entire approach as they evaluate internal controls by asking questions they have never asked before. And doing so, they just might become more efficient. Learn how.

Best Practices for Ethics Hotlines This article is for ACFE members only
Most frauds are found through tips and most tips come through hotlines. Here are some suggestions if you're beginning a hotline for the first time.

Billing Schemes, Part 3: Pay-and-Return Invoicing
This article explains the pay-and-return billing scheme, in which an employee creates an overpayment to a vendor and pockets the subsequent refund.

Billing Schemes, Part 4: Personal Purchases
This article's case study shows CPAs the far-reaching consequences of not setting up controls in a business to detect and prevent seemingly immaterial frauds.

The Brain Drain: Theft of Intellectual Property This article is for ACFE members only
Companies should have policies and procedures in place to protect against both legal and illegal intelligence gathering.

Breaking Tradition in the Auditing Profession This article is for ACFE members only
Established auditing approaches cannot adequately detect financial statement fraud. The ACFE proposes a Model Organizational Fraud Deterrence Program as an alternate, more effective strategy for both auditors and investors.

Capturing computer screens and crooks: Ctrl Print Screen: an effective tool This article is for ACFE members only
Learn how to use the Print Screen function on your personal computer keyboard to save evidence and prepare it for court presentation.

Case in Point: Financial statement fraud. An acquisition in wonderland? This article is for ACFE members only
Just like Alice in her Wonderland, the acquiring company didn't anticipate the tricks of the Mad Hatter and March Hare. But eventually the purchasers discovered the nightmare of an $18-million fraud in the company they had bought.

The CFE Academy Experience This article is for ACFE members only
When I was notified that my department was sending me to the CFE Academy to learn about computer fraud, I was delighted.

Check fraud: Separating Money from Worthless Paper
Despite the heavy use of credit cards and online payments, and the redoubled efforts of the FBI and police anti-fraud units, check fraud continues to increase. CFEs can benefit from reviewing the rudiments of check fraud detection and prevention, and the new twists.

Effective solutions for combating employee theft: Combating internal fraud in the banking industry: Page 1 This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud continues to prosper in the banking industry with a variety of fraud schemes. This session will be a practical discussion of fraud schemes that are perpetrated by banking insiders. You'll also learn some of the solutions that your organization can implement to prevent the fraud from occurring.

Effective solutions for combating employee theft: Combating internal fraud in the banking industry: Page 2 This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud continues to prosper in the banking industry with a variety of fraud schemes. This session will be a practical discussion of fraud schemes that are perpetrated by banking insiders. You'll also learn some of the solutions that your organization can implement to prevent the fraud from occurring.

Fraud prevention: the latest techniques. Compliance and the corporation This article is for ACFE members only
With all of the corporate scandals that have been going on in recent years, corporations have been developing compliance programs to keep them out of trouble when employees deviate from acceptable behavior. How does your corporation measure up? It it's not top notch, you may find yourself in hot water if corporate mischief occurs.

FRAUDBASICS: Con Schemes Abound, Part Two This article is for ACFE members only
Both the savvy and naïve are eligible prey to new business con schemes. Consumer education is the greatest weapon in the war against the pervasive scammers.

Conducting international investigations: Issues & Solutions This article is for ACFE members only
As corporate entities become more global, so will investigations. However, how you conduct investigations in your country may differ widely from investigations in another country. Learn the issues that you need to know in order to protect you from risk as well as solutions to these problems that you are sure to encounter.

Construction Fraud: Beware the ‘Outside Facilitator’ This article is for ACFE members only
Crafty manipulators will use weak employees at construction job sites to defraud companies for many months – long before the home office smells any problems.

Practical solutions to current fraud issues: Corporate Identity Theft This article is for ACFE members only
While you may be familiar with the theft of an individual’s identity, corporations are also susceptible to this costly crime. This session will discuss the various types of impersonations that are being used and suggested ways to protect the corporation through detection and prevention.

Current Issues: Corporate Governance and Sarbanes-Oxley. What you need to know This article is for ACFE members only
Hailed as one of the most sweeping reform measures for corporate governance since the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934, this Act contains provisions that affect all publicly traded companies as well as the CPAs who audit these companies. Learn how this new act may affect your public, private and other types of organizations and what your new responsibilities are.

Corruption and Fraud Stunt Third-world Growth, Part Two This article is for ACFE members only
Corrupt officials burden developing countries with unfinished projects and crushing debt - conditions that lead to economic decline and international terrorism.

Corruption in Collegiate Sports
Internal audit departments are challenged by the deep pockets and often unbridled power of big-time college athletic departments.

Corruption in Collegiate Sports: U.S. University Athletic Programs Vulnerable to Devastating Fraud This article is for ACFE members only


Effective solutions for combating employee theft: Creative employee theft schemes & how to detect them This article is for ACFE members only
Just when you think that you've seen every way an employee can steal from you, a new one comes along. Employees are always coming up with creative ways of making you part with your money. In this session you'll learn some of these ways and especially how you can detect them, the first step in stopping them.

Crossed Wires: Keys to Reducing Wire Transfer Fraud This article is for ACFE members only
With today’s growing emphasis on a cashless society, wire transfers increased by 200 percent just in 1998.

Designing a Robust Fraud Prevention Program, Part One
There may not be a more opportune time for a fraud examiner to press for a full-fledged fraud prevention program.

Designing a Robust Fraud Prevention Program, Part Two
Entities worldwide must transform security departments into rigorous fraud prevention programs staffed with qualified fraud examiners.

Detecting Fraud in the Data, Part One This article is for ACFE members only
Automatic intervention detection – an advanced computer-based tool – can be used to distinguish companies with fraudulent data from those with no indication of fraudulent reports.

Fraud prevention: the latest techniques. Developing and auditing loss prevention policies and procedures, Part 1 This article is for ACFE members only
Sweeping changes continue to reshape the workplace. The role of the loss prevention director has found his role dramatically changing from the primary role of protecting the organization's assets. This session provides an in-depth look at the essential elements of developing an effective loss prevention program. Also discussed will be guidance in auditing policies and procedures.

Fraud prevention: the latest techniques. Developing and auditing loss prevention policies and procedures, Part 2 This article is for ACFE members only
Sweeping changes continue to reshape the workplace. The role of the loss prevention director has found his role dramatically changing from the primary role of protecting the organization's assets. This session provides an in-depth look at the essential elements of developing an effective loss prevention program. Also discussed will be guidance in auditing policies and procedures.

Don't Get Burned by Smiling CEO Candidates This article is for ACFE members only
Applicants for top executive positions may have impressive résumés and reputations but extensive background investigations may uncover hidden, illegal activities that can hinder or destroy the organization.

Enemies Within
In a study of 2,608 cases of occupational fraud and abuse, we learned that asset misappropriation can be subdivided into specific types.

Ethics or Employment? How One Accountant Chose Morals over Money This article is for ACFE members only
My surprise first encounter with fraud began with a search to find a better job. It ended with losing my new position, but keeping my integrity and CPA license intact.

FBI Combats Financial Fraud with CFEs This article is for ACFE members only
Brian Lamkin, chief of the FBI's Financial Crimes Section, directs his team of agents and analysts to tackle fraud while working toward additional recognition for CFEs.

Fear Not the Software: Fraud Fighting with Data Analysis. Digging Even Deeper: Find the uncommon frauds with deductive tools This article is for ACFE members only
Most data analysis for fraud is specifically focused on precise red flags of fraud. The tools used are therefore query-based, which allows the fraud examiner to extract records that meet a certain criteria such as invoices paid to a vendor who has the same address as an employee. The process is inductive in nature and while it'll find much of the fraud it also misses the uncommon schemes that could sink an organization.

Financial fraud red flags: Searching for the funnel clouds This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud examiners, when looking backwards to the early stages of an investigation, report common patterns. Like tornado watches, these signals don't indicate the funnel clouds were sighted but that they might develop because of optimal conditions.

A Fistful of Dollars
The best fraud prevention efforts will concentrate on increasing an employee's perception of being caught.

Flunking the Ethics Test: Aspects Fostering Unethical Behavior in Corporate Culture This article is for ACFE members only
A closer look at the role of ethics in the corporate environment and the attitudes that foster unethical behavior.

Follow the MAPP: Develop an Aggressive Way to Fight Money Laundering This article is for ACFE members only
These four steps can help you MAPP out a plan to fight money laundering within your organization.

Fraud Edge: A FORUM FOR FRAUD-FIGHTING FACULTY IN HIGHER ED This article is for ACFE members only
I've always been very proud of the profession I chose, but that pride has been tested several times in the past few years since the Enron scandal with Andersen's complicity. After the Enron debacle, I received cartoon clippings from my friends and colleagues for what seemed like an eternity poking fun at the integrity, or lack thereof, of those in the accounting profession.

Protecting the public interest: Fraud in the government, Lessons learned while building an investigative procurement fraud detection program This article is for ACFE members only
It’s a fraud that affects both the public and private sector — procurement fraud. It’s also a fraud that is difficult to detect. In this session, you’ll learn how to build a proactive investigative procurement fraud detection program and how to avoid making some mistakes that could be costly and program counter-productive. Also discussed will be procurement fraud risk analysis, financial system data-mining, and the need for procurement fraud referrals.

Protecting the public interest: Fraud in the government: Stealing from the court, a case study This article is for ACFE members only
The analysis of any employee embezzlement fraud case study begins with the basics – the who, what, when, where, and how.

Fraud Basics / Part One: Intro to asset misappropriations for non-accountants: The stolen guitar and other assets This article is for ACFE members only
This first part of a short primer on asset misappropriations begins with some definitions and the basics of an entity's accounting.

Fraud Fighters Learn Latest Techniques at 7th Annual European Fraud Conference
Attendees at the 7th Annual European Fraud Conference not only had many opportunities to network but they had a choice of 12 breakout sessions within three tracks - Current Issues, High Tech, and Practical Fraud Techniques.

Fraud Forum Results This article is for ACFE members only
The Association is proud to announce the results of the first-ever Occupational Fraud Forum.

Fraud in the Cards: Credit Card Misuse Explodes Globally This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud examiners can help tackle the problem by exposing credit card fraudsters' methods and by promoting training in the cards industry, government, and law enforcement.

Fraud's Finer Points: Case History Applications This article is for ACFE members only
I'm closing our discussion about accounts receivable fraud with this column by unveiling some of the more creative methods fraud perpetrators use to steal money from the organization. We'll also examine some learning objectives from the final type of on-book accounts receivable fraud scheme I see routinely in state and local government.

Fraud's Finer Points: Case History Applications. Cash Larceny, Part One. No fixed responsibility losses This article is for ACFE members only
With this column, we begin a new series about cash larceny - on-book frauds in which employees steal the organization's revenue after accountability for the funds has been recorded in the accounting records.

Fraud's Finer Points: Cash Larceny, Part Two: Internal Controls at Decentralized Locations This article is for ACFE members only
In the previous column, we discussed the issue of no fixed responsibility when losses of funds occurred. We continue the topic by reviewing internal controls at decentralized locations within the entity. When cash receipting losses occur, sometimes there's fixed responsibility and sometimes there isn't. Let's explore why this condition occurs by studying two fraud case studies.

From The President: The Value of the CFE Credential is High and Growing This article is for ACFE members only
The value of the CFE credential is high and growing

From the President This article is for ACFE members only
April 2005 may set a record for the largest number of false filings submitted to the government in a single month. These filings will come in two streams. Both will cause substantial harm to society, but in the short-term the smaller group of false filings may actually be the bigger problem.

Get Corporate Crooks on the Straight-and-Narrow
Legislation mandating executive transparency can go a long way toward preventing fraud.

Ghost Goods: How to Spot Phantom Inventory
Inventory overstatements make up the majority of asset valuation frauds and are the focus of this article.

Global Composite Model: A Plan to Detect and Prevent Fraud Worldwide This article is for ACFE members only
Entities throughout the world are devising models to detect and prevent fraud in the workplace. This CFE from the United Kingdom constructs a composite from three countries that can be adapted to any public or private entity.

Global Risks Reduced: International Business Doesn’t Have to Be Risky This article is for ACFE members only
Being aware of and prepared for issues like personal safety, office supply needs, technology, and language barriers will help you adapt more smoothly to a foreign environment. Even more important is understanding the business culture of the country you’

Protecting the public interest: Fraud in government. Grant/Contract fraud in the public sector This article is for ACFE members only
Not all fraud involves the theft of assets, but rather some involve the misuse of assets. Every year, Federal, State and Local Governments award thousands of dollars in grant/contracts to vendors. However, the grant money is not always prudently managed. This session focuses on the ways and manner in which government grants are misapplied or misused, oftentimes to the benefit of the program administrator.

How to Screen Job Applicants to Avoid Potential Employee Fraud
Conduct background checks for any potential employee who will have constant access to cash, checks, credit card numbers or any other items that are easily stolen.

Preventing and detecting financial statement fraud: Identifying fraudulent financial transactions This article is for ACFE members only
One of the most difficult tasks that an auditor has is to identify fraudulent transactions. In this session you'll not only learn what the schemes are, but develop a framework for detecting fraud. Of particular emphasis is a type of financial statement fraud that is not often discussed - inadequate disclosures. You'll get tips for finding the frauds but also how to prevent the fraud.

Effective solutions for combating employee theft. Ignoring indicators equals fraud: a case study This article is for ACFE members only
Financial statement audit failures contribute to the untimely discovery and prevention of fraud. How and why does this happen? The appropriate use of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards can identify fraud risk resulting in deterrence and discovery. In this session, GAAS will be discussed and common deficiencies in work will be highlighted together with the disastrous fraud schemes that were discovered too late.

Effective solutions for combating employee theft: Implementing and managing a fraud hotline This article is for ACFE members only
One of the most common methods for detecting fraud is by a tip from an employee, customer, vendor, or an anonymous source. This session will focus on the benefits of utilizing a fraud hotline as well as what should be reported, and how to develop effective procedures for recording, reporting, and tracking hotline information.

Inside Job: A Guide to U.S. Insider Trading This article is for ACFE members only
U.S. insider trading is relatively easy to commit but extremely difficult to prove. Here is a primer for fraud examiners explaining the problem, how to tell if a trade is illegal, and what can be done to detect and prevent this popular crime.

Insidious Mold Fraud This article is for ACFE members only
Mold has existed before humans and will probably outlast us but recent huge mold insurance claims have inspired fraudsters to make some quick money.

Internal Auditing: What internal auditors need to know about fraud This article is for ACFE members only
As internal auditors continue to play a significant role in fraud, they find themselves not always prepared to take on this sometimes complicated task. In this session, you'll learn what the relevant issues are, casework and new tools in forensic accounting that internal auditors will need to address fraud.

Rapid reformer: An interview with Eliot Spitzer, New York state attorney general This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud examiners need only basic computer skills and the help of systems administrators to mine for gold and find vital evidence for fraud examinations.

Invasion of the Identity Snatchers, Part Two This article is for ACFE members only
Though identify theft is growing precipitously, the problem isn't untenable. Fraud examiners need to know current statistics and methods so they can fight this insidious crime.

Keep Ghosts Off the Payroll
Strong internal controls and well-trained, attentive auditors can prevent phony-employee schemes.

Lapping It Up
Lapping is the fraudster's version of robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul skimming.

Fraud preventions: The latest techniques. Developing a strategy to fight fraud
Does your organization have a strategy to fight fraud? It's not enough just to detect and investigate fraud, but a well-rounded anti-fraud program will also have taken measures that will prevent fraud. Once this is implemented, everything else will fall into place. Learn how you can develop strategies that will work for you.

Let Them Know Someone’s Watching
Those who perceive they will be caught engaging in fraud are less likely to commit it.

Make the Best of a Bad Situation! Recover Those Fraud Losses Through Insurance This article is for ACFE members only
Here's how to ensure you have an adequate fidelity policy and a professional fraud recovery team.

New Approaches for Fraud Deterrence
This article should provoke thought and debate among CPAs on how we might consider different approaches in the way audits are conducted in order to give the public what it really wants: business enterprises with integrity.

Developing your fraud examination skills: Online investigative resources & techniques This article is for ACFE members only
Financial statement audit failures contribute to the untimely discovery and prevention of fraud. How and why does this happen? The appropriate use of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards can identify fraud risk resulting in deterrence and discovery. In this session, GAAS will be discussed and common deficiencies in work will be highlighted together with the disastrous fraud schemes that were discovered too late.

Fraud: A Perspective from 'Down Under' This article is for ACFE members only
On average, fraud costs each household in Australia AUD$2,660 annually. It accounts for more than 69 percent of the cost of all crime, and has an estimated national price tag of AUD$13.7 billion – or 3.4 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP).

Practical solutions to current fraud issues: Producing electronic evidence This article is for ACFE members only
In recent financial statement scandals, much of the publicity centered around shredded documents and deleted e-mails. While this might not be a common occurrence, nevertheless, if this happened in your organization, what would you do? Learn how you might handle this situation if you are confronted with situation as well as some good tips on protecting information that might make a difference in litigation.

Preventing, Deterring and Detecting Fraud: What Works and What Doesn't This article is for ACFE members only


Preventing Fraud: Tips for Small Business Owners This article is for ACFE members only
All businesses, no matter the industry or size, can be targets of fraud. However, small businesses tend to have disproportionately large losses from asset misappropriation, and are far less likely to recover from fraud.

Fraud prevention: The latest techniques. Proactive fraud risk reviews: Page 1 This article is for ACFE members only
In order to combat the modern day fraudster, you need to stay one step ahead of the game. Management must realize that they are not immune to fraud and abuse and must be willing to root out the causes and address their concerns head on. To be successful in the fight against fraud you need a game plan that addresses all opportunities for fraud and abuse and details a plan of action. Learn what the best practices are and what you can use to perform a fraud risk review within your organization.

Fraud prevention: The latest techniques. Proactive fraud risk reviews: Page 2 This article is for ACFE members only
In order to combat the modern day fraudster, you need to stay one step ahead of the game. Management must realize that they are not immune to fraud and abuse and must be willing to root out the causes and address their concerns head on. To be successful in the fight against fraud you need a game plan that addresses all opportunities for fraud and abuse and details a plan of action. Learn what the best practices are and what you can use to perform a fraud risk review within your organization.

Promotional Funds Fraud: The Hidden Multi-million Dollar Scam This article is for ACFE members only
Promotional funds fraud is the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the promotional budgets of consumer product manufacturers.

Protect Small Business
Small businesses - Especially those that do not have regular audits - have every reason to worry about fraud.

Protecting the Public Interests: Mismanagement of Government Grant and Contract Funds This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of government contract and contract funds will never be eliminated. But frequent, modest proactive audits and reviews that focus on fraud indicators will help identify and prevent misuse before the funds are expended.

Recruiting an Anti-fraud Foot-soldier Army This article is for ACFE members only
CFEs and management should recruit and train those who can fight fraud most effectively – employees.

Beating fraud through internal auditing: Red flags and sources of information for internal audit This article is for ACFE members only
Studies show that most fraud against businesses originates from within. In this presentation, you'll learn some of the red flags that may indicate potential financial and ethical problems within an organization and sources of information that the internal auditor can use to proactively detect these vulnerabilities.

Reserving the Right to Audit the Suspicious Vendor This article is for ACFE members only
Right-to-audit clauses in vendor contracts help control fraud and abuse by affording discovery devices in examinations.

Restaurant Skimming: Taking a little cream off the top This article is for ACFE members only
With a little cash register magic, restaurant employees and owners can slyly skim receipts and decrease taxes. Here's how to catch them at their game.

Risky Business: Conducting the internal fraud risk assessment This article is for ACFE members only
Devising and conducting an internal fraud risk assessment may be a daunting task, but every fraud examiner should have the essentials to get the job done. Here are some steps you can take to prevent and detect fraud.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act This article is for ACFE members only
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, spawned from huge corporate collapses, will not make fraud disappear. But its strong language and stiff penalties could deter some executives tempted to stray.

Preventing and detecting financial statement fraud: Sarbanes-Oxley Update This article is for ACFE members only
When Sarbanes-Oxley was passed, it had a profound effect on CPA's everywhere. Now that it has had a chance to settle in, has it had the impact that was intended by its passage? Get an update on what has happened in the last year and what is expected to come in the future years. You'll also learn the potential opportunities available for your practice and the pitfalls for your clients.

SAS 99: Another Implement for the Fraud Examiner’s Toolbox This article is for ACFE members only
SAS 99 not only requires auditors to be reasonably sure that financial statements are free of material misstatements, whether caused by error or fraud, but it gives them focused and clarified guidance on meeting their responsibilities to uncover fraud.

Setting the Stage to Fight Fraud: Using ‘Scenario Planning’ This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud examiners can bypass the entire investigation process and actually solve the crime before it happens.

Fraud's Finer Points: Case History Applications. Skimming revenue, part one: The highest-risk employee This article is for ACFE members only
After a lengthy discussion of accounts receivable fraud, it's time to focus our attention on other prime areas where fraudsters abuse the systems of internal control to raid organizations' treasuries for their own personal benefit. With this column, we begin a journey through the many facets of cash receipting and types of fraud that occur in every organization. Our first step involves skimming: removing funds prior to recording accountable transactions in the accounting system.

Fraud's Finer Points: Skimming revenue, part three: Stealing cash payments from customers This article is for ACFE members only
In the past two columns, we've discussed many methods fraud perpetrators use to steal checks from the organization and then convert them for personal benefit. Employees perpetrate these skimming frauds by removing funds from the organization prior to recording accountability for the transactions in the accounting system. Here we'll discuss some of the methods employees use to skim funds by stealing customer payments made in cash.

The Sophomore Slump: Improving Internal Controls in Small Businesses Once They Succeed This article is for ACFE members only
The real difficulty that anti-fraud professionals face in small businesses once they succeed isn't designing or implementing financial controls but convincing owners to make the necessary investments and give up sufficient authority to allow the controls to work.

SOX becoming timesaver for fraud examiners: Using the new Sarbanes-Oxley documentation This article is for ACFE members only
The new documentation required under sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act helps fraud examiners by quickening the creation of deterrence programs and simplifying investigations.

Starting Out: For and About Fraud-Fighting Students in Higher-Ed This article is for ACFE members only
Who learns more, the teacher or the student? The answer to this question is irrelevant in today's world since each of us needs to be CONTINUALLY learning as a student and sharing our knowledge as a teacher. In this column we get to access the knowledge of the best and brightest who are entering the fraud profession.

Starting out: Students: This Column is for You! This article is for ACFE members only


The Suspense Could Kill You: Fraud Committed Through General Ledger Suspense Accounts This article is for ACFE members only
Devise a logical examination process to find fraud committed through general ledger suspense accounts.

Timing is of the Essence
When companies get desperate to show earnings or reduce losses, sometimes they resort to fraudulent timing differences to show phony profits.

'Tis the Season to be Wary: Fraudsters Take Advantage of Charitable Spirit During Holidays This article is for ACFE members only
The holiday season – it’s a time for giving thanks and wishing good will toward all men, but it’s also a perfect time for con artists to prey on the charitable spirit of others for their own financial gain.

FRAUDBASICS: USA PATRIOT Act and Money Laundering, Part One This article is for ACFE members only
The USA PATRIOT Act, signed into law after 9/11, strongly targets suspected money laundering activities and creates new requirements for financial institutions.

Vendor Fraud: Finding Deals Gone Awry This article is for ACFE members only
Fraud examiners, working with teams of diverse staff members, can discover deceitful vendors by conducting regular audits.

The Whole, Not the Parts This article is for ACFE members only
Outcome-oriented fraud auditing - looking at a situation as a whole rather than its individual parts - will help you think like a fraudster and find deeply embedded crimes.

Whom Do You Trust? Doing Business and Deterring Fraud in a Global e-Marketplace This article is for ACFE members only
Eye-to-eye' business deals quickly are being replaced by 'I-to-I' electronic transactions. Speed and efficiency are displacing trust and verification.

Who’s in Control Here? Anatomy of a Bank Infrastructure’s Failure This article is for ACFE members only
A bank can have the most airtight internal control structure imaginable, but if senior management sends out signals that some people in the organization are above these rules, major frauds can result.

Why Employees Commit Fraud
It is important for CPAs to understand what motivates people to commit fraud so they can better assess risk and assist employers or clients in implementing appropriate preventive and detective measures.

Preventing and detecting financial statement fraud: Worldcom bankruptcy: A fraud examiner's perspective This article is for ACFE members only
The WorldCom scandal has taught the financial world many things. It's also a classic study of what not to do in the corporate world when it comes to financial records and how to avoid disaster. In this session you'll learn about WorldCom's bankruptcy and how fraud fits in the picture. It wasn't pretty, but there are many lessons that can be learned to help prevent this from happening again.

This article is for ACFE members only. Click here for information about membership.

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