Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Fraud. 1

What is Fraud?. 1

Confidence. 2

The Effects of Fraud. 2

Fraud Triggers. 3

Perceived Pressure. 3

Opportunity. 4

Rationalization. 5

Fraud Addiction. 5

Collusion. 6

Types of People More Likely to Engage in Fraud. 6

Types of Fraud. 6

Financial Statement Fraud. 7

Embezzlement 7

Supplier Fraud. 7

Customer Fraud. 8

Investment Scams. 8

Common Fraud Risk Indicators. 8

Responsibility for Fraud Prevention. 10

The Fraud Examiner. 10

Chapter 2 - Fraud and Theft Schemes. 13

Cash Theft 13

Disbursement-Related Theft 14

False Expense Reports. 15

Mis-use of Company Credit Card. 15

Billings from Fake Suppliers. 15

Self-Insurance Fraud. 16

Unauthorized Shipments. 16

Redirected Payments. 16

Check Theft 16

ACH Debits. 17

Compensation Fraud. 17

Executive Loans. 17

Workers Compensation Fraud. 18

Check Kiting. 18

Solicitations Disguised as Invoices. 18

Lapping. 19

Inventory Theft 19

Product Replacement Fraud. 20

Fixed Asset Theft and Misuse. 20

Bust-Out Scams. 21

Advance-Fee Loan Schemes. 21

Kickbacks. 21

Bid Rigging. 22

Bribery. 22

Conflicts of Interest 22

Insider Trading. 23

Stock Option Backdating. 23

Information Theft 24

Time Theft 24

Money Laundering Schemes. 24

Financial Statement Fraud Schemes. 25

Sales Inflation. 25

Expenses Falsification. 27

Marketable Securities Falsification. 28

Prepaid Expenses Falsification. 28

Receivables Falsification. 28

Loss Reserves Falsification. 29

Inventory Falsification. 30

Fixed Asset Falsification. 31

Liability Falsification. 31

Debt Falsification. 33

Discontinued Operations Stuffing. 33

Cash Flow Reclassifications. 33

Acquisition Falsification. 35

The Most Difficult Financial Statement Fraud Areas to Detect 35

Financial Statement Disclosure Fraud. 36

Fraud Schemes More Common in Closely-Held Businesses. 37

Chapter 3 - Financial Statement Fraud. 39

Reasons for Financial Statement Fraud. 39

Instigators. 40

How Financial Statement Fraud Begins. 41

The Financial Statements. 41

The Balance Sheet 41

The Income Statement 44

The Statement of Cash Flows. 46

Interactions between the Financial Statements. 48

Horizontal Analysis. 49

Vertical Analysis. 51

Interrelationships Analysis. 53

Revenue Interrelationships. 53

Revenue Acceleration Interrelationships. 56

Cost of Goods Sold Interrelationships. 56

Capitalization Interrelationships. 57

Ratio Analysis. 57

Financial to Non-financial Relationships. 59

Time-Based Analysis. 59

Other Red Flags. 60

A Note of Caution. 63

The Auditors Approach. 64

Other Factors to Consider. 64

The Management Team... 65

The Organizational Structure. 65

The Size of the Organization. 65

The Board of Directors. 65

Footnotes. 66

Industry Analysis. 67

Chapter 4 - Fraud Prevention. 69

1. Combatting Perceived Pressure. 69

2. Minimizing Fraud Opportunities. 70

Cultural Adjustment Activities. 70

Hire Correctly. 70

Communicate Expectations. 72

Provide an Example. 73

Establish the Work Environment 73

Handle Fraud Situations Correctly. 74

Minimizing Collusion. 75

Engaging in Fraud Auditing Activities. 75

3. Combatting Rationalization. 76

Fraud Prevention for the Small Company. 76

Fraud Prevention for Outsiders. 76

Chapter 5 - Fraud Policies and Controls. 79

Policies. 79

Control Activities. 81

Segregation of Duties. 81

Authorization Levels. 81

Independent Reviews. 82

Physical Safeguards. 82

Documentation. 82

Preventive and Detective Controls. 83

Manual and Automated Controls. 83

When to Add Controls. 84

Control Overrides. 84

Fraud-Specific Order Entry Controls. 85

Fraud-Specific Credit Controls. 85

Fraud-Specific Shipping Controls. 86

Fraud-Specific Billing Controls. 86

Fraud-Specific Cash Controls. 87

Fraud-Specific Inventory Controls. 89

Fraud-Specific Fixed Asset Controls. 89

Fraud-Specific Payable Controls. 90

Fraud-Related Purchasing Controls. 93

Fraud-Related Receiving Controls. 94

Fraud-Related Payroll Controls. 94

Fraud-Specific Journal Entry Controls. 96

General Controls. 96

Oversight Capabilities. 96

Incentive Systems. 97

Small Business Controls. 97

Chapter 6 - Fraud Detection. 100

Fraud Symptoms. 100

Accounting Anomalies. 100

Analytical Anomalies. 102

Lifestyle Symptoms. 104

Unusual Behavior 104

Assistance in Spotting Fraud. 105

Assistance from Employees. 105

The Employee Hotline. 105

Assistance from Suppliers and Customers. 106

Assistance from Auditors. 106

Records Examination. 106

Publishing Activities. 106

Data Analysis. 107

Data Analysis Techniques. 108

Benfords Law.. 108

Cross-Matching Analysis. 111

Outlier Analysis. 111

Trend Analysis. 112

Discovery Sampling. 113

Access to Documents. 113

Nonfraud Factors. 114

Where Fraud Does Not Occur. 114

Undetectable Fraud. 114

Role of the Auditor in Fraud Detection. 115

Chapter 7 - Fraud Investigation. 117

Whether to Investigate. 117

Investigation Policies and Procedures. 117

Fraud Investigative Techniques. 118

Documentary Evidence. 120

Personal Observation. 120

Physical Evidence. 120

Testimonial Evidence. 121

Invigilation. 121

The Need for Objectivity. 122

The Need for Investigation Secrecy. 122

Involving the Police. 122

Signed Confessions. 122

Chapter 8 - Investigation of Concealment and Conversion. 125

The Chain of Custody. 125

Organizing the Evidence. 125

Document Examination. 126

Conversion and Incarceration Information Sources. 126

National Crime Information Center 127

Interstate Identification Index. 127

Federal Inmate Database. 127

Tax Returns. 127

State-Level Information. 127

County-Level Information. 128

Divorce Information. 128

Probate Court Information. 128

Professional Licensing Information. 128

Rental Information. 129

SEC Filings. 129

Tax Assessor Information. 129

Title Information. 130

Voter Registration Information. 130

Acquaintances Information. 130

Trash Analysis. 130

Fee-based Search Tools. 130

Investigations Related to Mail Fraud. 130

Calculating the Amount Stolen. 131

Chapter 9 - Fraud Interviewing Techniques. 134

The Ideal Interviewer. 134

Types of Interviewees. 135

The Ideal Interview.. 135

Interview Planning. 135

The Interview.. 135

Interactions with Friendly Interviewees. 136

Interactions with Unfriendly Interviewees. 137

Asking for an Admission of Guilt 139

Additional Interviewing Rules. 143

Activities Following the Interview.. 144

Income Questions. 144

Lifestyle Questions. 144

Interviewee Motivations. 144

Reactions to Fraud. 145

Integrity Testing. 145

Chapter 10 - The Fraud Report 148

Report Tone. 148

Sample Text of the Report 148

Chapter 11 - Legal Aspects of Fraud. 156

Types of Prosecution. 156

The Civil Litigation Process. 157

The Criminal Litigation Process. 157

The Fraud Examiner Role in Lawsuits. 158

Federal Statutes Covering Fraudulent Activities. 159

Answers to Chapter Questions. 163

Glossary. 182

Index. 186

 

Final Examination 189