Understanding the best practices for fraud investigation is pivotal in resolving fraud allegations from inception to deposition. The proper procedures, techniques and skills must be used to conduct an effective fraud investigation. Explore internal and external investigations in depth through the following resources.
Washington State’s Largest Ponzi Scheme was the catalyst for Tod McDonald, CPA to start his company and push for innovation in financial e-discovery. Years later, he and Garth Leonard, CFE, from Valid8 Financial, join ACFE Community Manager Rihonna Scoggins to explore the current resources at hand to combat fraud and how fraud examiners can assess what tools are the right fit for them in this evolving landscape.
Among the most valuable assets in an organization’s fraud prevention toolkit is its internal audit team. Internal auditors have the advantage of an insider’s view of an organization’s controls, making them uniquely positioned to help identify fraud risks and support investigations.
According to the ACFE’s Report to the Nations, organizations with less than 100 employees suffered larger median losses than those of larger companies. In other words, fraud can happen at any organization, no matter the size, so it’s important to understand the warning signs. So, what are the warning signs to look out for?
In the world of corporate espionage, uncovering the truth can be a daunting task. But when a global research firm approached us to investigate the simultaneous resignation of two key employees in the latter half of 2020, we knew we had our work cut out for us. The management suspected that the employees were leaving to join a competitor in the same region and requested an eDiscovery review to determine the truth.
This blog serves as part two in a three-part series on Benford’s Law.
Toward the end of the spring season, our team was contacted by the internal audit head of a global retail organization who requested that we investigate several abnormal transactions in a recently acquired subsidiary, referred to as "PQR," located in the western region of India.
As part of the Internet Archive, the Wayback Machine contains a historic log of an estimated 735 billion web pages, making it an incredibly powerful database supporting a range of businesses and industries.
Sam Bankman-Fried's meteoric rise was coupled with an aura of mystery, and questions began to circulate about the integrity of his financial dealings.
White-collar crime, an insidious and complex category of offenses, extends far beyond the conventional image of criminal activity. Understanding white-collar crime is crucial for individuals and finance, law and security professionals in our interconnected world.
A new estate fraud case is center-stage in South Carolina’s courts. The Palmetto state has been a hotbed of probate, trust and conservator fraud cases dating back more than half a decade.
While NFTs offer numerous benefits, such as increased security and unique ownership, they also present new fraud risks. Understanding these risks and how to mitigate them is essential for organizations that are considering investing in NFTs.
Although well-intentioned, the U.K.’s fiscal response to the COVID pandemic has been seriously flawed, creating huge opportunities for fraudsters to exploit multiple shortcomings of the various schemes offered by the government to help support businesses.
The investigative process is essential for uncovering crimes, particularly white-collar crimes. These are crimes committed by individuals, organizations or public officials for financial gain, often without resorting to violence. Edwin Sutherland, one of the pioneers in this field, recognized the complex nature of these offenses.
Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) provide free or low-cost medications to eligible patients who cannot afford them. Despite regulatory oversight, instances of PAP fraud have been reported globally.
A group of investors who had invested USD $100 million in an educational institution were concerned about the institution's operations and suspected that their funds were being misused. Our team of experts took on the case, employing a range of techniques and procedures to uncover the truth.
Recent reports show that PPP loan fraud soared in the last two years, putting billions of taxpayer dollars in the pockets of fraudsters and criminals.
William Shakespeare is widely considered to be one of the most prolific and influential writers of all time. But one group of individuals, who call themselves “Oxfordians” and their theory the "Shakespeare Authorship Question," falsely claim that what we know to be Shakespeare's plays and poetry were actually penned by someone else.
Recently, I worked on a case wherein a whistleblower raised allegations on two employees that the company was engaging in unethical practices. The allegations included bribery and corruption, conflict of interest, breach of code of conduct, misappropriation of assets, high prices and poor quality of products supplied and abuse of position.
In an email obtained by “The Ankler,” it was revealed that Michael Lewis, the author of "The Big Short", has been working on profiling the Sam Bankman-Fried’s rise to power, as well as a once-budding rivalry between the 30-year-old billionaire and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao.
Reality is simply based in fact, whether it be an event or transaction. A fraudster’s movement is a documented reality. Reality, or the truth, is simply confirmed by documentation, digital footprints and verifiable eyewitnesses, which can be pieced together to reveal the factual timeline.
In this excerpt from episode 124 of Fraud Talk, ACFE Chief Training Officer John Gill, J.D., CFE, and Gary Weiss, author of “Retail Gangster: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie,” talk about the insurance scheme Eddie Antar committed but was never caught for.
Cognitive bias is when an investigator's own assumptions or beliefs impact their judgment of information and evidence. When investigating fraud, it is important that the investigator be able to think clearly and make unbiased decisions.
This article presents a detailed case study of a leading automobile company that undertook a comprehensive investigation into allegations of kickbacks, conflicts of interest among its vendors and employees, and theft of high-quality automotive paint.
Fraud detection often requires sharp observational skills and a keen eye for detail. While many tools and techniques can aid in this process, one of the most effective methods is recognizing behavioral red flags.
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 U.K. post office branch managers were wrongly accused of theft or fraud due to a flawed computer system. This scandal has had profound consequences, including imprisonment, financial ruin and other tragic outcomes in the years that followed.
According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, in 2023 maritime trade accounted for over 80% of international trade, carried out by vessels flagged and owned by different countries and manned by international crews.
Dubbed the “archetype of avarice” by The New York Times, Dennis Kozlowski could have written the book on how NOT to set an ethical tone at the top.
If you suspect fraud has occurred at your organization, take these immediate action steps.
We have compiled a list of 10 fraud-related podcasts that will have you laughing and learning the whole way through.
I hosted a weekly virtual class and talked about the 5Ws and 1H of writing — What, Why, Who, Where, When and How. I learned this concept from a former boss while working on an investigation, and it’s a tool commonly used by journalists, researchers and psychologists. These occupations can be similar to investigators in that they all strive to unearth issues as well as understand the psychology behind an individual’s actions.
Javier Leiva, a writer, investigative journalist, producer and podcaster, joins Jason Zirkle, ACFE Training Director, on Fraud Talk to discuss the use of OSINT in investigations. They delve into the challenges, ethical considerations and future of OSINT investigations. Listen in as Leiva shares insights and tips for leveraging OSINT effectively and responsibly, and delves into the myth of Frank Abagnale.
Conflicts of interest can present significant fraud risks for corporations, government agencies, fiduciaries, customers and suppliers...
Management, auditors, and anti-fraud professionals are regularly monitoring for the red flags of fraud in organizations more today than ever before...
Are you using online resources in your internal and external investigations to your best advantage? Presented in non-technical terms, Investigating on the Internet: Research Tools for Fraud Examiners...
This advanced course takes place in a uniquely interactive learning environment where you will work on two actual fraud cases that have been modified for teaching purposes...
This advanced course takes place in a uniquely interactive learning environment where you will work on two actual fraud cases that have been modified for teaching purposes...
Undeniably, the most significant threats to achieving or maintaining contract integrity comes from the abundant fraud and abuse schemes targeting today's contracts. In...
Our online world and the use of electronic devices have led to many of our interactions to occur digitally. They have also changed how fraudsters manipulate people...
The British Post Office scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in U.K. legal history. Between 1999 and 2015, more than...
While fraud examiners often have the best intentions, certain mental processes can interfere with our objectivity. Three particular maladies, referred to as illusory superiority, bounded ethicality...
The skills and processes required to conduct fraud examinations can be overwhelming for investigators, regardless of their level of education or experience...
Learn how to avoid the pitfalls that make internal investigations so hazardous and discover tips for setting and achieving investigation goals, gathering evidence and more.
Turn your computer into the most powerful investigative tool you own with this guide to every aspect of digital investigations.
Bank records are often used to transfer and conceal proceeds acquired in intricate fraud schemes. This course explores analyzing bank records including the various types of…
Learn how to avoid the pitfalls that make internal investigations so hazardous and discover tips for setting and achieving investigation goals, gathering evidence and more.
Learn how to locate hidden assets and how to identify and trace hidden payments and sources of income.
You will learn what predication is, why it is important and how to determine if predication is present.
Discover red flags that can alert you to a potential conflict of interest.
Learn to better distinguish forensic accounting and fraud examination through examining their definitions, similarities, differences and more.
Learn the types of investigations in which social media can be a helpful resource, which sites are beneficial to fraud examiners, how to use them to collect evidence and more.
What do you do in the critical hours after you discover an allegation of fraud? Are you prepared with a formal set of investigative procedures? Can you stop the fraud in progress...
Learn to better utilize the Internet as an investigative tool through the use of open-source intelligence techniques.
Learn about various managerial and organizational challenges you might face when conducting fraud examinations and discover the steps you should take to address them.
Learn to prepare for and respond to challenges specific to conducting international fraud investigations in an efficient, defensible and cost-effective way.
Discover important information to help you, your company and its employees avoid adverse consequences and combat bribery in international business.
Learn about conscious and unconscious bias in investigations and audits, how bias affects work and how you can counter its effects.
Learn how shell companies work, how they are used to commit fraud and how to investigate shell companies.
Learn how every word plays a part in a statement and identify signs of fabrication that could be staring back at you from the written page.
Learn from a step-by-step overview of the fraud examination process, explaining the core concepts of an examination.
Explore the money laundering process including methods used to launder funds, laws and regulations used to combat money laundering and techniques used to investigate it.
Learn how to conduct more effective examinations and find better information in less time and at less cost.
Learn about common approaches to locating assets and best practices and specific recommendations for those charged with finding hidden assets.
Financial statements can be daunting to non-financial professionals, yet many times that is exactly where fraud is concealed...
This course provides an overview of grant fraud. Learn how individuals apply for and execute federal grants, including commonly used web-based systems. Explore the...
You’ve likely navigated one or more internal investigations. But when you’re in the middle of an investigation, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees...
Mortgage fraud has been institutionalized over the past thirty (30) years because it is a lucrative, though illegal, profit center. Mortgage fraud can be perpetrated against property, individuals, financial institutions...
No two fraud examinations are alike. Despite this, every fraud investigation that you encounter follows a series of logical steps and requires specific techniques to reach...
The world is in a constant state of change. Do you think fraudsters have updated their tactics? Whether finding ways to breach online security, access more data, or...
In this webinar, you will explore the challenges faced when conducting investigations that involve adolescents, teens and millennials as the victims, suspects or witnesses...
Understanding the components necessary for successfully prosecuting a fraud case is crucial in both state and federal courts. This session explores the complexities...
This course highlights fraud and corruption cases in which suspected shell companies are linked to directors, and what you and your organization can do to minimize...
The FinCEN Files investigation was one of the biggest fraud-related news stories of 2020. Received by BuzzFeed News, the FinCEN Files contain thousands of suspicious...
Internal investigations can be tricky. Often, investigating employee wrongdoing can be costly, disruptive, and time-consuming, with the potential to lead to legal problems and unexpected complications...
This seminar will cover online evidence gathering for fraud investigations, with a focus on international due diligence, cryptocurrencies and the dark web.
This seminar teaches financial and ratio analysis for fraud detection in organizations, covering various types of analysis with practical examples for illustration.
This course provides an overview of the resources, legal considerations and techniques to prepare for and conduct an asset recovery examination.
Principles of Fraud Examination provides best-practices guidance and expert insight into fraud prevention, detection and deterrence, as well as provides you with networking opportunities.
Conducting Internal Investigations will prepare you to lead fraud investigations effectively, ensuring company integrity and zero-tolerance for fraud.
This course introduces digital forensics techniques for identifying, preserving and managing evidence, enhancing collaboration with experts for successful fraud examinations.
This advanced course offers hands-on experience with two modified fraud cases, simulating real investigative scenarios to enhance skills as a fraud examiner.
