Course 2024-2025 a.y.

20984 - FORENSIC ACCOUNTING AND FRAUD EXAMINATION

Department of Accounting

Course taught in English

Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 31
CLMG (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - M (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - IM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - MM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - AFC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - CLELI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - ACME (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - DES-ESS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - GIO (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - DSBA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - PPA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07) - FIN (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07)
Course Director:
PAUL DEMERE

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: PAUL DEMERE


Suggested background knowledge

PREREQUISITES

Students should have a basic knowledge of financial accounting principles and a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that the average company will lose 5% of its revenue to fraud, adding up to $5 trillion dollars lost per year. Fraud can occur in any part of a company, in companies both large and small, in companies in every part of the world, and in every industry, making it a universal and costly problem that every business must navigate. This course is designed to familiarize students with fraud, including how and why fraud occurs and the types of fraud that are most costly to businesses. Beyond that, this course will discuss tools to detect, investigate, and prevent fraud with the goal of helping businesses navigate fraud threats and mitigate fraud risks.

CONTENT SUMMARY

This course will provide a survey of the discipline of forensic accounting and introduce students to the analytical tools used by forensic accountants in detecting, investigating, and preventing fraud. Topics covered within this course would include:

  • A review of the accounting and auditing environment in which fraud occurs
  • The elements and psychology of fraud
  • Governance and internal control tools to prevent fraud
  • Definitions and categories of fraud schemes
    • Schemes related to cash, payroll, inventory, and financial reporting
    • Tax fraud, valuation and insurance fraud, corruption, and money laundering
    • ESG-related fraud and cyber-security threats
  • Fraud symptoms and general detection
  • Using data analytics to detect fraud
  • The process of fraud investigation, including detection and reporting of fraud, collecting evidence for legal actions, and communicating findings using data visualization

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

This course should teach students to:

  • Define fraud and relevant forensic accounting tools within a variety of business contexts
  • Understand the environments and pressures that lead to fraud and identify these risk factors
  • Solve problems using relevant accounting knowledge and data analytics tools
  • Design data analytic tools to detect fraud and address fraud risks
  • Question and investigate reported numbers through interactive simulations and cases
  • Provide documentary support for fraud investigations

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

tbd


Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Company visits
  • Practical Exercises
  • Individual works / Assignments
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments
  • Interaction/Gamification
  • Competitions/Hackathons

DETAILS

In addition to lectures, this course includes one or more guest lectures from experts in fraud investigation, corporate governance, or analytics. There will also be a fraud simulation project to be completed individually, and team projects examining different aspects of fraud. Some lectures may be supplemented with interactive case studies to be analyzed in class. The projects and cases are designed to help students gain hands-on experience with the tools and techniques needed to identify and investigate fraud in different business contexts.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Individual Works/ Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
 x    
  • Peer evaluation
 x    

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

ATTENDING

Student assessments will consist of:

  1. A midterm and final written exam to gauge student understanding of key terms and principles
  2. The individual fraud simulation project to test applied knowledge of fraud investigation techniques
  3. Group projects to test student understanding of fraud, fraud detection analytics, and fraud investigation techniques
  4. Engagement in case studies, guest lectures, and peer critiques of group project performance (i.e., participation)

 

NOT ATTENDING

Same as attending – in-class participation will be substituted through writing brief memos which will be graded on the same scale as in-class participation.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White Collar Criminal, Eugene Soltes, Public Affairs, New York, NY, 2016.

 

Other handouts and cases as provided on Blackboard

Last change 13/01/2025 15:24