Forensic services & fraud news and resources

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July 15, 2015

National taxpayer advocate: IRS falling down on the job of helping identity theft victims

Fewer than 10% of callers to the IRS’s phone line for victims of identity theft got through to an IRS assistor during some of the busiest weeks of tax season.

April 13, 2015

Monitoring fraud risks in the supply chain

Mark Pearson, who works in supply chain forensics for Deloitte, explains how companies can probe one of the top risks—third-party expense categories—and avoid overpaying.

April 13, 2015

What’s your fraud IQ?

Organizations seeking to prevent and detect fraud can greatly boost their chances of success by instituting a strong ethics program. How can you develop and deploy a good ethics program? What are the characteristics of an ethical work environment? Test your knowledge in this month’s Fraud IQ quiz.

February 1, 2015

Fraud

There is no way to guarantee that an organization will not experience financial reporting fraud. But research shows that fraud-resistant organizations share three traits: A tone at the top that encourages an ethical culture. The presence of skepticism. Engagement of all participants in the financial reporting supply chain. That’s according

February 1, 2015

What’s your fraud IQ?

How well do you know how to prevent, detect, and respond to data breaches? Find out in this month’s Fraud IQ quiz.

February 1, 2015

Tips for conducting a forensic interview

A properly conducted forensic interview turns a potentially reluctant subject into an information-providing source.

January 14, 2015

Viewing cybersecurity through a COSO lens

The principles outlined in a popular internal control framework can help organizations manage their cybersecurity.

January 1, 2015

Fraud

December 1, 2014

Fraud

Corporate board members of U.S. public companies are keenly focused on risk, but many are uncomfortable with their understanding of which risks the companies are willing to take, according to PwC survey results.

December 1, 2014

Are organizations hindering employee whistleblowing?

Some measures organizations undertake to promote fraud reporting sometimes have the opposite effect. What can management do to encourage whistleblowing? This article offers a series of suggestions.

December 1, 2014

Tax phishing goes global with FATCA

Scam artists impersonating the IRS have been requesting foreign financial account holders’ personal and account information, the IRS warned in a news release.

November 17, 2014

Defining roles in prevention of financial reporting fraud

October 16, 2014

SEC filed record number of enforcement actions in fiscal year 2014

With the help of new investigative approaches—and data and analytical tools—the SEC filed a record 755 enforcement actions totaling $4.16 billion in disgorgement and penalties in fiscal year 2014, the securities regulator announced Thursday. The totals for the 2014 fiscal year, which ended in September, are preliminary figures. The SEC

October 1, 2014

What’s your fraud IQ?

Nearly all organizations rely on vendors to provide certain goods and services to facilitate their business operations. Whether for repairs or maintenance service, a purchase of office supplies, a consulting engagement, or a large capital contract, the need for vendors is universal—but it also carries an inherent risk of fraud.

September 30, 2014

Board members keenly focused on risk

Corporate board members of U.S. public companies are keenly focused on risk, but many are not comfortable with their understanding of which risks the companies are willing to take, according to new PwC survey results released Tuesday. In the interest of reducing fraud risk, an increasing percentage of board members

September 22, 2014

SEC expects to pay whistleblower a record $30 million

The SEC expects to pay an award of more than $30 million to a whistleblower—a total that’s more than twice the previous record payout announced in the commission’s 2-year-old whistleblower program. An informant living in a foreign country who provided important, original information that led to a successful SEC enforcement

September 1, 2014

Madoff account value must be determined at trial

The IRS is denied summary judgment on an estate’s valuation of its account in an infamous Ponzi scheme. Whether an account managed by Madoff Investments or its claimed holdings are considered property included in a gross estate and whether a willing buyer or seller of the account could reasonably know

August 1, 2014

Lessons from an $8 million fraud

Nathan J. Mueller’s fleecing of his employer, a financial services giant, is noteworthy because of the amount of money stolen, the many years the embezzlement lasted, and the internal control weaknesses that made the scheme possible. This article examines how the crime was committed and what organizations can do to protect themselves from similar losses.

August 1, 2014

What’s your fraud IQ?

Do you know how to spot the red flags of a fraudulent transaction? Can you evaluate the warning signs? Find out in our Fraud IQ quiz.

June 1, 2014

What’s your fraud IQ?

CPAs need the ability to ask the right questions and gather crucial information from conversations. Are your interviewing skills up to par? Find out in our Fraud IQ quiz.