...From the handouts, Ben Hill is the possible perpetrator I suspect most. The clue to make this conclusion is that he’s “all over” the TBC’s work. My following analysis is based on the fraud triangle. As regards to opportunity, Ben is the office manager and he has multiple authorities over the company’s operations including transaction verification and cash handling. It’s easy for him to perpetrate a fraud. The most obvious opportunity for him to commit a fraud is in purchasing equipment. Because Ben recently changed a vendor to Charlie Thurgood, who has a close relationship with him, it’s suspicious that they may collude with each other. When purchasing the equipment, Ben has access to the purchasing order which is “open”. He can possibly change the ordered quantity and ask Charlie to change the invoices which Charlie will personally drop with Michelle. It’s Ben who is the only person authorizes the purchase as well as the payment. There is no segregation of duties in this purchasing process. Besides Ben is the person responsible for hiring temporary employees and verifying the timesheet and checking. It’s also easy for him to add more employees who actually don’t exist. Moreover, Ben verifies the ticket log and keeps the money overnight. There is a chance for him to steal money from it too. The pressure making him to plot fraudulent schemes may come from his family background which shows he has “a bunch of ex-wives.” There is a possibility he needs to get money to afford the...
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...Use the Fraud Triangle and Fraud Scale to critically analyse the actions of Bernie Ebbers and Scott Sullivan during the WorldCom saga/ What does your analysis suggest? Dennis Greer’s fraud triangle is a key framework in analysing the ‘factors that cause someone to commit occupational fraud’ (ACFE-The Fraud Triangle, Association of Certified Fraud, Examiners Available from:http://www.acfe.com/fraud-triangle.aspx [January 2014]). The three elements that make up the model are perceived pressure, perceived opportunity and rationalisation. In reference to the events of WorldCom, which has been labelled to date, ‘one of the biggest accounting scandals in history’ (CNN Money- WorldCom’s Financial Bomb, Available from:http://money.cnn.com/2002/06/25/news/worldcom/. [June 2002]) the initial pressures that were the driving force behind the actions of CEO, Bernie Ebbers and CFO Scott Sullivan are quite vast. Firstly Ebbers, was faced with the managerial strain of financial pressure on management due to the decline in the economic environment and the high expectations of Wall Street. As a result, he was aware that the key to growth was in acquisition and mergers, which required an illusion of a solid investment portfolio and therefore ‘a heavy dependence on the performance of WorldCom shares’ (Forbes- Bernie Ebbers Guilty, Available from: http:// www.forbes.com/2005/03/15/cx_da_0315ebbersguilty). In addition, Ebbers was fuelled by greed, ‘nearly a billionaire’...
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...THE ROLE OF INTERNAL AUDITING IN FRAUD PREVENTION AND INVESTIGATION. INTRODUCTION. Internal auditing is charged with the overall responsibility of reviewing, evaluating and monitoring the organization’s internal controls to ensure efficiency. Its functions include a detailed testing of transactions and balances, and performing routine or sometimes, random checks as a precautionary measure. During this process, an auditor might uncover fraudulent practices, which would otherwise have gone unnoticed. This paper intends to clarify the difference between auditing and fraud investigation, fraud indicators, highlight the role of audits in fraud prevention and investigation. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND CONCLUSION. Paul A. Rodrigues said, “It has been aptly said that auditors look at the ‘donut’ and fraud examiners look at the ‘hole’” (Auditing vs. Fraud Examination, para. 2). That statement indicates a difference between auditing and fraud investigation; audits are reoccurring (on a regular basis), fraud investigations are not (only when there is sufficient predication); an audits scope is general, that of fraud investigations are specific (allegation based); an audit’s objective is to express a general opinion, a fraud examination’s is to affix blame where an allegation is confirmed (adapted from the ACFE Fraud Examiners Manual). That being said, an internal audit is party to a fraud investigation along side forensic investigators, legal counsel, law enforcement and the lot...
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...July-September – 2014, ISSN : 2348-5485 69 Role of Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in Protection of Investor’s Interest: An Overview Radheshyam Prasad & Prof. (Dr.) Tabrez Ahmad I-Introduction A Company is basically a form of business organization and it runs according to the business traits and commercial practices. Being a sub system of the economic-social system operating in the society, it affects and is affected by the economic and cultures of the society. The concept of social responsibilities of companies is now so widely accepted that it is rare to bear any view expressed to contrary. Even those who stoutly defend company’s primary object to make profits agree that the profit-making should be pursued in a socially responsible way, by which they usually mean that it should be done for the well being of their employees giving due regards to public, its shareholders and keeping paramount also the national interest. The Companies Act 2013, guarantees several rights to investors and also regulates the affairs of a company with a view to ensure efficient functioning of a company so that investors may receive their due returns of the capital invested by them and their rights and interests are adequately protected. Investors are the real owners of a company but the power of management of the company is vested in the Board of Directors. There are chances to abuse of power like committing fraud, by few directors of the company. As we know that there is close...
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...Fraud Schemes and Fraud Investigation Acc 571 Instructor: Dr. Ole Ruankaew Diane Phillips November 22, 2015 Fraud Schemes and Fraud Investigations The problem that organization faces today, are employee fraud. Many organizations feel that long term success of any company comes from the quality of their employees and workers loyalty. While during my research, I discovery that Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. has shown that organization have lost five percent of their annual revenue each year because of employee fraud. Every organization needs to have a plan in places for fraud detention. In preventing fraud in the work place, a good strategy for any organization is to implement internal control. These are plans; programs and procedures put in place to safe guard the company assets, and ensure the integrity of its accounting records. As prevention fraud is much easier than recovering losses after a fraud has been committed. This study will focus on the case of Stanford Financial Group Company fraud in which Robert Allen Stanford, chairman of Stanford International Bank (SIB), was involved in a Ponzi scheme. Stanford was convicted of orchestrating a 20-year investment fraud scheme in which he misappropriated $7 billion form SIB to finance his personal businesses. The Stanford Financial Group claimed to have pulled in retail, wealthy and commercial investors from 136 countries on six continents. Lopez and Kuhrt was aware of what Stanford ...
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...THE FRAUD INVESTIGATION PROCESS I. The fraud investigation process involves systematically A. The engagement process B. The evidence process C. The reporting process D. The loss recovery process II. The engagement process A. Analyze data B. Create Hypotheses regarding a possible fraud C. Test hypotheses D. Refine and amend hypotheses E. Fraud theory is supported by the evidence III. The evidence collection process A. Physical evidence, Collect physical and documentary evidence B. Collect documentary evidence C. Collect observational evidence D. Collect interview evidence 1. The initial interviews are conducted with the most remote suspects 2. The investigator then conducts additional interviews that are successively closer to the suspects 3. With the prime suspect being the last person interviewed IV. The fraud investigation engagement process A. Initial report 1. Includes the initial information used to justify the investigation 2. The initial information should be included in a unified case file 3. The incident report can serve as probable cause for law enforcement 4. The incident report can provide proof the suspect is not being singled out because of illegal discrimination or in violation of collective bargaining rights B. Make notifications and evidence 1. Routine incident reports may be routed to a predetermined department ...
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...Anatomy of computer accounting frauds A. Seetharaman, M. Senthilvelmurugan and Rajan Periyanayagam Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Malaysia Keywords Fraud, Corruption, Financial reporting, Whistleblowing, Internal control, Corporate governance Abstract This paper introduces fraud as asset misappropriations (85 per cent of cases), corruption and fraudulent statements. Symptoms include accounting anomalies, lack of internal control environment, lifestyle and behaviour. The most effective tools for fraud detection are internal audit review, specific investigation by management, and whistle-blowing. The paper details the fraud investigation process and the role of auditors as fraud examiners. The correlation of fraud perpetrators’ personality with the size of losses is examined. Personality is analysed into age, gender, position, educational background and collusion. A strong system of internal control is most effective in fraud prevention. Fraud prevention procedures, targeted goals and improvements to system weaknesses feature in the paper. Fraud impacts on accounting transactions in accounts receivable, receipts and disbursements, accounts payable, inventories and fixed assets, and financial reporting. The monetary impact resulting from fraud is analysed by the type of victim and the amount of loss. Internal control and good employment practices prevent fraud and mitigate loss. Computer accounting frauds 1055 Introduction Accounting fraud involves an intentional action...
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...cannot fully regulate it and often it is necessary to make very difficult decisions getting through double standards. In fact the case of Jack who revealed the fraudulent use of corporate funds by one of the veterans of BMI, Troy Sozuko, seems to be not an exception and the dilemma he has to solve, being quite complicated, is a typical case of double standards existing not only within the whole company but also on the personal level. It is obvious that Troy Sozuko really violated not only legal but also moral norms since he simply used corporate funds for his personal purposes and his gift was perfectly proved by Jack’s investigation. Moreover, it should be said that the executive’s gift is evident also because a thorough and independent investigation was held. This is why, there are no reason to blame Jack in some personal reasons to dig evidences of Troy’s fraud. At the same time, the fraudulent use of corporate funds by one of the veterans is not so striking and even shocking as the attitude of the ethics officer Matt Thompson to the case since, initially, he practically ignores the allegations and attempts to...
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...Forensic Accounting in Practice Twana Bethea BUS 508 May 21, 2013 Dr. Phyllis Praise Abstract Forensic Accounting is the application of the skills and training of a chartered accountant to disputes and investigations. Fraud is usually hidden in the accounting systems of organizations and that’s where forensic accountants play a critical role. Forensic accountants are contacted by companies when they need to figure out where a fraud was committed in their company. The accountants interview witnesses, analyze evidence such as email traffic between all parties involved. They will also freeze bank accounts if needed. They are hired to find out what happen and who was involved. If the case goes to trial they can be called to testify. The key skill of the forensic accountant is communicating complex financial transaction or data in a concise manner using images, graphs and languages that can be easily understood by non-accountants, the judiciary, and juries. With the growing complexity of business related investigations, Forensic Accounting professionals are increasing and the need is as well for investigations of business and financial issues. Forensic Accounting Practices Forensic Accounting has been in exist for many years, today there have been an increase in the need for this type of profession. Forensic accounting is the practice of integration of accounting, auditing and investigative skills. The accountings provide a court with an accounting analysis on the basis...
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...think of the term forensics, what comes to mind? For younger readers CSI probably rings a bell, while the elder crowd would probably think of Quincy. Both TV shows glorified the acts of forensics in a medical sense. But a lesser-known form of forensics has been growing in use around the world. In light of recent accounting scandals throughout the world, investors and regulators have searched for various different methods to improve the safety of investors through more diligent accounting reporting practices. Until recently, detecting fraud was thought to be a part of the responsibility of the accountant. Fraud was something the internal or external auditors were expected to guard against by their periodic audits. We now know that auditors can only check for compliance of a company’s books to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) and to company policy; therefore, a new category of accounting had to be established, one which revealed the fraud for companies with suspected fraudulent transactions. This new area of accounting is known as forensic accounting. To fully understand the definition of forensic accounting, we can use parts of the definition of forensic medicine and accounting, both taken from Webster’s Dictionary, to produce a clear definition. Forensic medicine is a “science that deals with the relation and application of facts to legal problems.” Accounting is “the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions and analyzing, verifying...
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...The main strengths and weaknesses of sanction policies June 2015 Student ID: Acronyms CIPFA: Chartered Institute of Public finance and Accounting DWP: Department of Works and Pension LCFS: Local Counter Fraud Specialist NAO: National Audit Office NFA: National Fraud Authority NHS: National Health Service NHS CFSMS: National Health Service Counter Fraud and Security Management Services XXXXX: XXXXX ousing Gr Table of Contents 1.Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 4 2.Introduction.............................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Objective of XXXXX sanction policy............................................................ 6 3.Literature Review.................................................................................................... . 7 3.1 Definition of fraud.................................................................................... 7 3.2 Examples of fraud ................................................................................... 8 3.3 Sanction.................................................................................................... 8 3.4 Definition of sanction............................................................................
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...FRAUD: FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES A REVIEW OF THE CRIMES Introduction Investigations into fraudulent activities have brought much attention to Federal Government spending. The impact of fraud and the corruption caused by internal parties or external entities targeting government funds can be substantiated. For example, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) in a 2012 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse projected a global fraud loss of more than $3.5 trillion per year. Fraud and corruption is a common problem that is all over the world. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, 2006) wrote in its “Fraud Awareness” handbook that fraud is an enormous problem that can waste valuable funding and other resources. Fraud is a potential problem that threatens the Federal Government mission of protecting the health and welfare of the American peoples. According to the Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell University Law School fraud precise legal definition varies in the area over which legal authority extends or the given power or authority that has exclusive jurisdiction to decide legal matters. LII defines fraud as “deliberately deceiving someone else with the intent of causing damage.” On December 2nd 2012 Special Agent Jason Muldrew of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea printed news story said, “Fraud is defined as the crime of obtaining money or other benefits by deliberate deception...
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...ASSIGNMENT 1: REVIEW OF BUSINESS FRAUD ABSTRACT Business fraud is a white-collar crime that is increasing at a rapid pace. One case of business fraud dealt with an information breach within Bank of America’s information system. This breach affected over 300 Bank of America customers. Management failed to provide proper security for their information system and the sensitive information of their customers. The following assignment will give detailed specifics about the case, clarify the classification of this particular fraud, and suggest recommendations that can help prevent this fraud from reoccurring. ASSIGNMENT 1: Review of Business Fraud On May 24, 2011, an investigation was in process within the Bank of America organization for potential business fraud. A Bank of America employee had manage to copy the personal information of over 300 of the bank’s customers. The security breach allowed the Bank of America employee to communicate the sensitive information of the customers to a ring of scammers. Customer information compromised included the customers’ names, physical addresses, Social Security numbers, contact numbers, checking account numbers, savings account numbers, routing numbers, driver's license numbers, date of births, email addresses, mother's maiden names, PINs and the balances on their accounts. Scammers used this information to start up credit cards and to spend the money available on the customers’ bank accounts. The leaking of the confidential...
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...Question 2 (28 marks) Mary Cooper owns five convenience stores that sell food, beverages, and gasoline. The stores are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The business has 20 employees who do not always work at the same store; rather, they are assigned to stores on a rotating basis. Two employees work the day shift but only one works the night shift from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Ms. Cooper manages the company’s overall operations from head office. Customer satisfaction has always been important to Mary and she visits each store at least once a week and spends several hours serving customers and working alongside her employees. This gives her the opportunity to evaluate customer satisfaction and assess the quality of service provided by the employees. Recently, Mary has noticed an increase in the number of credit card transactions declined by the bank. An analysis of the reasons given by the card issuers showed that several cases occurred after the customers had disputed the transactions. Mary has asked you, in your capacity as an internal auditing expert, to analyze the situation and inform her of your findings. Here is a description of sales for each of Ms. Cooper’s stores: 1. All sales are recognized on a cash basis, and the company accepts major credit cards and debit cards. 2. Each store has its own cash register which records all transactions. The files are uploaded once a week to the central system server located at the company’s head office. 3. At the head...
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...As corporate controller for Apollo Shoes, you are tasked to find and explain any irregularities in the Apollo Shoes Case. Resource: Apollo Shoes Casebook Define the process you will use and address the following assessed classroom discussion questions: What procedures will be used to collect accounting evidence? What sampling tools and techniques will be used for the examination? How will you use analytical and inferential tools to evaluate accounting evidence? Submit your assignment to the facilitator. Note. APA formatting is not required for this assignment. Use a title and reference page where appropriate. Consider using a checklist or flowchart to outline your process. There are many irregularities that can arise within the different accounting departments at Apollo Shoes. An audit program will be designed according to the three cycles that will be outlined below. The first cycle that will be discussed is cash, then accounts payable and finally the payroll function. These cycles will be evaluated for substantive procedures for Apollo Shoes and detect irregularities for each section and an appropriate audit program will be designed for each department. Cash At Apollo Shoes irregularities or cash schemes, which could occur in the audit cycle of cash include fraudulent disbursement schemes and cash receipt schemes. Fraudulent disbursement schemes are those in which a distribution of funds is made from some company account in what appears...
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