Overcoming the Auditor Stigma

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Overcoming the Auditor Stigma

According to the ACFE’s 2016 Report to the Nations, the No. 1 way fraud is detected is through tips. However, the most prevalent anti-fraud control put in place by companies is external audits. About 80 percent of survey respondents cited external audits as an anti-fraud control while only 54 percent cited tips as a control. According to Tiffany Couch, CFE, CPA, CFF, Principal of Acuity Forensics, these statistics tell auditors an important story. 

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The Softer Side of Fraud Examinations

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The Softer Side of Fraud Examinations

Imagine you are a small business owner. You started the company from the ground up and now it’s operating like a well-oiled machine. You have a large staff of individuals you trust completely. They’ve been in the trenches with you and have been a huge part of your success. So you become a little relaxed with your management style — you don’t believe they need a firm hand anymore.

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Dreyfuss Says Attendees Can Reverse Madoff-Influenced Society

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Dreyfuss Says Attendees Can Reverse Madoff-Influenced Society

“What would make smart people give him their millions?” actor Richard Dreyfuss asked himself when he was preparing to portray Bernie Madoff in the February ABC miniseries, “Madoff.” 

“He had to be the most comfortable, menschy, honest, sweetest guy in the world with a very strong opinion about who deserved to be in his exclusive investment company,” Dreyfuss told attendees at the Monday working lunch. 

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Navigating the Open, the Deep and the Dark Webs

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Navigating the Open, the Deep and the Dark Webs

“When the NSA can’t find something, they use Google,” says Cary Moore, CFE, CISSP, Associate Partner for the IBM Red Team. In the session, “Shining a Light on the Dark Web,” Moore delved into what can be found on the three different levels of the web: the Open, the Deep and Dark Web. As the chances for cyberthreats increase with today’s digital culture, so will the demand for anti-fraud professionals with the skillset to prevent the risks and investigate the avenues cybercriminals use to defraud their victims.

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Surpassing the Standard: Strategies for Developing Nations

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Surpassing the Standard: Strategies for Developing Nations

Many anti-fraud professionals are used to discussing fraud risks with their C-suite in terms of compliance, risk assessments and accounting best practices. But Peter Goss, managing director of Forensics SizweNtsalubaGobodo Audit, believes that approach needs to be updated, especially for those operating in developing countries. He encouraged attendees at the 27th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference to “lift their language” when discussing anti-fraud strategies with their executives.

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Wall Street Judge: Cynicism Tempered by Fraud Examiners' Efforts

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Wall Street Judge: Cynicism Tempered by Fraud Examiners' Efforts

Cressey Award recipient Judge Jed S. Rakoff said the real winners of the honor should be the members of the ACFE because they root out fraud to an unprecedented degree. “I wish I could say the same for the federal government,” he said during his Monday Opening Session address. “But I am regrettably, convincingly convinced that the federal government and the federal system of justice has somewhat retrogressed over the past couple of decades … in the prosecution of fraud … when it’s perpetrated by people at the highest levels of the financial establishment.”

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How to Master the Edge of Ethics

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How to Master the Edge of Ethics

Ethical dilemmas. We find ourselves in these situations every day. Do I cut the person off in the lane next to me so I can get to work on time? Do I go back and pay for the grapes that were hidden at the bottom of my grocery cart that the check-out person missed? Do I lie about my address on my daughter’s registration forms to get her into a better public school? Do I report the contract work I did on my tax forms?

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