Forensic Accounting and Fraud Control Training Course

Participants can produce a fraud risk assessment linked to key controls and control gaps.

• Fraud risk register structure: schemes, perpetrators, controls and residual exposure
• Process mapping identifies fraud opportunities within procure-to-pay and payroll cycles
• COSO control principles applied to fraud prevention and detection
• Segregation-of-duties conflicts assessed through approval, custody and recording responsibilities
• Control gaps prioritised by likelihood, financial impact and detection difficulty
• Key risk indicators designed for vendor, employee and payment anomalies

Participants can identify common reporting fraud schemes through analytical review and account testing.

• Revenue recognition red flags: premature, fictitious and side-agreement sales
• Expense capitalisation tested against policy, supporting records and accounting treatment
• Journal entry testing targets unusual users, timing and account combinations
• Ratio analysis detects implausible margins, receivables, inventory and cash movements
• Related-party transactions reviewed through ownership, approvals and disclosure evidence
• Management override indicators examined within estimates, provisions and period-end adjustments

Participants can test procure-to-pay records for common vendor and payment fraud indicators.

• Vendor master-file review identifies duplicate, fictitious and conflicted suppliers
• Three-way matching exceptions reveal unsupported purchases and invoice manipulation
• Duplicate-payment testing compares invoice numbers, amounts, dates and bank accounts
• Bid-rigging indicators include split orders, repetitive winners and unusual specifications
• Conflict-of-interest checks connect employees, vendors, addresses and bank details
• Purchase order amendments tested for post-approval price and quantity changes

Participants can detect employee-focused fraud schemes through targeted record review.

• Ghost employee tests compare payroll records, identity data and bank accounts
• Overtime analysis identifies improbable patterns, overrides and unauthorised approvals
• Expense claim testing targets duplicates, altered receipts and policy circumvention
• Corporate card reviews identify merchant anomalies, split transactions and personal spending
• Inventory shrinkage analysis reconciles stock movements, write-offs and physical counts
• Cash-handling controls examine collections, deposits, refunds and void transactions

Participants can design and document data tests that prioritise suspicious transactions for review.

• Data acquisition scope defines systems, fields, periods and record custodians
• Benford's Law screens selected datasets for unusual leading-digit distributions
• Outlier testing ranks transactions by amount, frequency, timing and user
• Link analysis connects vendors, employees, addresses, telephone numbers and accounts
• Stratified sampling separates high-value, high-risk and routine transaction populations
• Test documentation records objectives, parameters, exceptions and reviewer conclusions

Participants can establish a defensible investigation plan and evidence management process.

• Investigation scope defines allegations, objectives, periods, entities and decision authority
• Evidence registers record source, custodian, relevance, handling and storage location
• Chain-of-custody documentation preserves integrity of physical and digital materials
• Document preservation notices prevent deletion, alteration and unauthorised disclosure
• Investigation hypotheses guide evidence collection without assuming guilt prematurely
• Privilege, confidentiality and data protection issues require appropriate specialist advice

Participants can plan and conduct structured fact-finding interviews supported by corroborating evidence.

• PEACE interviewing framework structures preparation, engagement, account and evaluation
• Interview plans sequence background, process, transaction and allegation questions
• Open questions obtain narratives before introducing documents or contradictions
• Cognitive interviewing techniques support accurate recall without leading witnesses
• Document confrontation uses verified evidence, timing and neutral questioning
• Corroboration matrices compare statements, records, witnesses and digital evidence

Participants can quantify suspected losses and prepare clear investigation findings for decision-makers.

• Loss calculation separates direct loss, avoided cost, recovery and consequential impact
• Transaction reconstruction traces funds from source record to recipient account
• Damages schedules document assumptions, calculations, source records and limitations
• Investigation reports distinguish facts, inferences, allegations and unresolved matters
• Finding ratings communicate substantiated, unsubstantiated and inconclusive allegations
• Remediation actions address control failures, recovery options and disciplinary decisions

Participants can create a practical fraud response and control improvement plan for their organisation.

• Fraud response protocols assign reporting, escalation, investigation and oversight responsibilities
• Whistleblowing arrangements protect reporters, preserve confidentiality and prevent retaliation
• Case lessons translated into preventive, detective and corrective control actions
• Control owners receive actions, deadlines, evidence requirements and accountability measures
• Fraud dashboards track allegations, losses, control failures and remediation status
• Personal application plans identify priority fraud risks and immediate next actions