End of Year 20-CPE Bundle

A Forest Full of Fraud: Case Study of a $4.5 Million Fraud 

CPE: 2 | Course Level: Basic

28 years into her 40-year career with multi-national lumber company Weyerhaeuser, Susan Tranberg stole her colleagues’ computer credentials, forged her supervisor’s signatures and used her dead mother's name to embezzle $4.5 million from her employer over the next 12 years.
 
This case study will detail how Tranberg was able to circumvent internal controls, explore her motivations to commit embezzlement and provide steps fraud examiners can use in their own investigations.

You Will Learn How To:

• Determine best practices of an embezzlement investigation.
• Identify the essential controls to mitigate embezzlement and vendor fraud.
• Determine best practices of an embezzlement investigation.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Auditing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: November 2023
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

Practical Ethics for Fraud Examiners

CPE: 2 (ACFE Ethics CPE) | Course Level: Basic

Fraud examiners face many situations that require ethical reflection, and, often, there is no obvious line between right and wrong. Consequently, Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) might find themselves on a slippery slope when it comes to determining the best course of action.

This course will discuss how codes of ethics, conduct and practice in general — and the CFE Code of Professional Ethics and CFE Code of Professional Standards, in specific — provide guidance for fraud examiners when they are confronted with ethical uncertainty in professional situations.

You Will Learn How To:

• Discern the benefits of having codes of ethics, conduct and practice that govern the actions of professionals.
• Identify the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Codes of Professional Ethics and Certified Fraud Examiners Code of Professional Standards to understand how they apply to Certified Fraud Examiners.
• Recognize why professionalism, diligence, ethical conduct, integrity and competence are important to anti-fraud professionals.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Regulatory Ethics
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: February 2024
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

Follow the Money: Tracing Concealed Assets

CPE: 5 | Course Level: Overview

Finding the proceeds of fraud is complex and involves dealing with strategic, organizational, investigative and legal challenges. Follow the Money: Tracing Concealed Assets demystifies the process of finding hidden assets and provides tools for success in this complex work. The course offers common approaches to locating assets domestically and across borders, and establishes best practices and specific recommendations for those charged with finding hidden assets.  

You Will Learn How To:

• Relate basic information about locating assets acquired through the commission of improper acts, particularly fraudulent acts.
• Recognize common ways people hide assets.
• Determine an effective process for conducting an investigation to locate assets.
• Differentiate between different types of asset searches.
• Recognize the major sources and methods of collecting information in an asset investigation.
• Identify common sources of information that (if legally accessible) can help unearth an individual’s or business entity’s assets.
• Recognize how different types of financial records can be used to locate hidden assets.
• Determine ways to use the various types of online services to obtain information relevant to tracing investigations.
• Identify measures to analyze collected information to locate assets.
• Relate key information about various methods that examiners can use to find and recover assets held abroad.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Accounting
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: July 2023
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

Sources of Information

CPE: 4 | Course Level: Overview

To conduct a successful fraud examination you must be knowledgeable about laws and regulations restricting access to information, the relevant sources of information for certain types of searches and the types of records specific to different types of fraud schemes. 

Sources of Information will teach you to conduct more effective examinations and find better information in less time and at less cost. This course is perfect for any anti-fraud professional looking to develop or hone their skills in obtaining information.

You Will Learn How To:

• Distinguish the various types of laws that govern access to information.
• Determine the types of information that can be obtained from internal sources.
• Recognize where to look for information that is created, stored and disseminated electronically.
• Identify ways to gather information through human intelligence.
• Recall the types of information that can be obtained from public records.
• Identify valuable types of nonpublic records.
• Recognize various means through which information can be obtained from online sources.
• Identify sources of information that are relevant for certain types of searches.
• Identify types of records that are relevant to specific types of fraud schemes.
• Recognize methods that can be used to find information located abroad.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Auditing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: September 2023
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

 

Shell Companies

CPE: 2 | Course Level: Overview

Shell companies are used to commit nearly every type of fraud, from simple billing fraud schemes to complex, multijurisdictional money laundering operations. In this course, you will learn how shell companies work, how they are used to commit fraud and how to investigate shell companies.

You Will Learn How To:

• Recognize common characteristics of shell companies, how they are created and for what purposes.
• Recall key facts regarding the Panama Papers and related scandals, as well as factors that have led to the rise of shell companies.
• Compare fraud schemes that are commonly associated with shell companies.
• Identify common red flags of shell companies.
• Recognize tools and methods that can be used to investigate fraud schemes involving shell companies.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Accounting
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: December 2023
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

Privacy and the Fraud Examiner

CPE: 4 | Course Level: Basic

Privacy laws restrict what fraud examiners can do during fraud investigations. Fraud examiners who violate privacy laws — and their employers — may be subject to substantial monetary and legal penalties, as well as reputational harm. The risk has increased exponentially with the rise of data privacy laws, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In this course, you will learn about the types of privacy laws that apply to fraud investigations, such as data privacy laws, workplace privacy laws, confidentiality rules and legal privileges. Additionally, you will learn best practices for complying with privacy laws and how violations of privacy laws can affect a fraud investigation.

You Will Learn How To:

• Identify common types and sources of privacy law.
• Recognize the privacy-related legal risks that can arise during fraud investigations.
• Compare the data privacy laws of various countries, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
• Recall best practices for complying with data privacy laws during fraud investigations.
• Identify workplace privacy laws that can affect fraud investigations.
• Recall best practices for preserving confidentiality and legal privileges during fraud investigations.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Business Law
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: December 2022
• Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study

 

 

Behavioral and Lifestyle Red Flags of a Fraudster 

CPE: 0.2 | Course Level: Overview

Fraudsters often go to great lengths to conceal their schemes and, to complicate things, they are usually not the most obvious suspects. While fraud perpetrators might not broadcast or boast about their crimes, they are not necessarily invisible. In this course, you will discover behaviors that individuals who engage in fraudulent activity often exhibit that can serve as red flags that something could be amiss and warrants investigation. 

You Will Learn How To:

• Recognize the common behavioral and lifestyle red flags that indicate that someone might be at risk of committing fraud.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Auditing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: April 2023
• Delivery Method: Nano Learning

Elements of a Successful Hotline

CPE: 0.2 | Course Level: Basic

Whistleblower hotlines are a reporting method that enables employees and external parties to report unethical behavior, malpractice and illegal activity occurring within an organization. In this course, you will learn about the basic elements needed in a hotline to encourage whistleblowers to come forward with information

You Will Learn How To:

• Identify the elements necessary for creating a successful fraud reporting hotline.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Management Services
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: June 2024
• Delivery Method: Nano Learning

ESG Fraud

CPE: 0.2 | Course Level: Overview

The public’s concern for organizations’ nonfinancial characteristics has increased in recent years as investors and consumers alike carefully choose where to invest their money. Environmental, social and governance (ESG), while not a new concept, is driving media coverage, both in concept and concern. In this course, you will gain insight into ESG and the fraud risk that can occur within the ESG space. 

You Will Learn How To:

• Recognize ESG issues and the potential for ESG fraud risk.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Auditing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: September 2024
• Delivery Method: Nano Learning

Gift Card Fraud

CPE: 0.2 | Course Level: Overview

Fraudsters love gift cards because they are easy to cash in and virtually untraceable. Generally, gift cards do not contain any personal information linking them to the legitimate purchaser or recipient. Therefore, anyone who has the card number and PIN can use the gift card or sell it for cash. Fraudsters can sell gift cards on websites like eBay or Craigslist, and there are many online gift card resellers that pay cash for gift cards and sell them at a discount.

This course discusses the most common types of gift card scams as well as tips for preventing them.

You Will Learn How To:

• Identify common gift card fraud schemes.
• Recall best practices for preventing gift card fraud.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Auditing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: November 2024
• Delivery Method: Nano Learning

Signs of Deception

CPE: 0.2 | Course Level: Overview

Collecting evidence in the form of statements from witnesses and suspects is a critical part of a fraud examiner’s job. But collecting statements isn’t enough; a successful fraud examiner must be able to recognize signs of deception that could affect their investigation. In this course, you will learn indicators of deception in written or verbal statements that you can use when evaluating statements.

You Will Learn How To:

• Recognize signs that subjects are being deceptive in written or verbal statements.

CPE Information

• NASBA Information: Communications and Marketing
• Advanced Preparation: None
• Last Updated: March 2024
• Delivery Method: Nano Learning