What would be a typical approach to a forensic accounting assignment?

Forensic accountants are called upon to many assignments where little is known at the beginning. What is the typical approach when handling a forensic accounting job?

The first thing we do in any such assignment is meet with the key people involved in the case and understand exactly what the project is – what is the problem, what are they looking for, what do they want us to find out for them?
The second thing we are likely to […]

December 28, 2012 Forensic Accounting Read more...

What are the most successful ways to detect and prevent workplace fraud?

Fraud in the workplace can be detected, but prevention of fraud is even more valuable. What are the most successful ways to detect and prevent workplace fraud?

Businesses of all sizes are at risk for fraudulent activity, especially due to more incentives and pressures for companies to outperform, and more financial hardships for employees to overcome than ever before. Even if your company has never experienced any type of fraud, the possibility should not be ignored.

Detecting workplace fraud involves review […]

December 19, 2012 Forensic Accounting, Human Resources, Payroll Audit Read more...

Implications of mobile technology on today’s digital forensic methods?

Mobile technology, social media, and cloud computing have radically altered our current digital forensic methods.  How have these methods been affected, and what other changes will these new technologies bring?

The easy and obvious answer is that these technologies have made an investigation much more complex.  It becomes more difficult to recover the data and to do the things we normally would do in an investigation.  It calls for some specialized expertise in working with an IT professional.

The opportunities though […]

December 19, 2012 Accounting, Forensic Accounting Read more...

How do you choose the right forensic accountant for a case?

Forensic accountants have varying backgrounds and skillsets, so how do you select the appropriate one?

We could approach it from two angles. The first could be to someone who’s looking to hire a forensic accountant. The second would be, how would I approach it, assigning someone to a case.

Let’s start with the outside person. What you first want to consider is experience. Can the person demonstrate that they’ve been involved in this type of investigation for a while so they […]

November 28, 2012 Accounting, Forensic Accounting Read more...