Forensic Accounting

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants defines Forensic Accounting

as the application of specialized knowledge and investigative skills possessed by CPAs to collect, analyze, and evaluate evidential matter, and to interpret and communicate findings in the courtroom, boardroom or other legal or administrative venue.

Magnifying glasses and handcuffs are not in the normal FA toolbox (image from Purdue University)

Forensic accounting is one of the fastest-growing accounting specialties. It requires using high-tech tools, investigative techniques more elaborate than those of conventional auditing, and imagination.

Forensic accountants appear in TV shows as eyeglass-wearing geeks who unearth the secrets in bank statements, ledgers, and complicated corporate structures. Buried in documents, they labor in the background while the detectives go out and get the bad guys. This stereotype is only partially accurate. Accountants have learned that good interpersonal skills, especially when conducting interviews, can save weeks on a FA engagement.

The well-crafted interview can

Decrease the time involved in determining how to conduct the investigation;

Reduce the breadth of the investigative plan;

Garner valuable information from interviewees, either wittingly or unwittingly; and

Increase the likelihood of overall success in discovering and proving fraud or malfeasance.

Some documentary evidence will always need to be assembled, but one confession is worth a hundred bank reconciliations.