The Structural Approach to
Investigating Financial Statement
Fraud is the specialty practice
area of examiners that describes
engagements that result from
actual or anticipated disputes or
litigation. In litigation, 'Forensic'
means suitable for use in Court,
and it is to that standard and
potential outcome that fraud
examiners generally have to work.
Certified System Investigators
(CSI), Fraud Examiners (CFE) and
Forensic accountants (CPA) often
have to give expert evidence at the
eventual trial. All of the larger
accounting firms, as well as many
medium-sized and boutique firms,
have specialist forensic
accounting departments. Within
these groups, there may be further
sub-specializations: some forensic
accountants may, for example, just
specialize in insurance claims,
personal injury claims, fraud,
construction, or royalty audits.
This is where the distinction lies:
While Accounting firms do only
“Forensic Accounting” CSIs and
CFEs perform Investigations in
Financial Statement Fraud. This is
not the same thing — one is post
event, the other one is
pre-emptive.
Engagements relating to criminal
matters typically arise in the
aftermath of fraud. They frequently
involve the assessment of
accounting systems and accounts
presentation - in essence
assessing if the numbers reflect
reality. The CSI and CFE
determines whether there has
been any audit failure on the part
of the Accounting firm. This
seminar will train participants to
change from a justification mindset
to a pre-emptive mindset. It will
help them develop the capability to
render a service that can answer
the following questions, “What
have gone wrong? Could it have
been prevented in the first place?
Who is responsible for the mess?
The general idea is essentially to
prevent financial statement frauds
and when it does occur, how to
contain the damage and recognize
who is responsible for what in the
whole scheme of things. less
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