April 08, 2019

You’re Only Human: The Importance of Understanding Human Behavior in Interviews

April 08, 2019/ Sarah Hofmann

Interviews are a critically important part of a fraud investigation. Whether you are an outsider trying to get context for the victim organization’s culture, or an in-house fraud examiner trying to obtain a confession, your interviews, if successful, will provide you with insight and information you will need to close your case. With so much weight on this step of an examination, some professionals in the anti-fraud field may spend time strategizing and preparing all while overlooking a fundamental truth — your interview is a conversation between human beings.

April 05, 2019

Fighting the Root Causes of Corruption

April 05, 2019/ Mandy Moody

“One in four people pay bribes for public services,” Gretta Fenner quoted (from the Global Corruption Barometer 2017) during her keynote address titled, “Fighting Corruption and Returning Stolen Assets: Global Challenges and How to Make at Least Some Inroads” at the 2019 ACFE Fraud Conference Europe last week. “We have 300 people here; that means 80 of you would have paid a bribe in a 12-month period.”

April 12, 2018

Proving Intent in Fraud Cases

April 12, 2018/ Courtney Howell

Why do people comply or not comply? For Audrey Milesi, CFE, ACCA, ACAMS, Founder of Flying CFO, this question is at the heart of proving intent in fraud cases. “Proving the facts doesn’t mean you have proved the intent,” said Milesi to attendees of the 2018 ACFE Fraud Conference Europe, recently held in Frankfurt. “It’s not just about going to court and having a good case. It’s about [determining] what fraud is for you.”

April 11, 2018

Effectively Meeting the Challenges of Cross-Border Investigations

April 11, 2018/ Emily Primeaux

It's undeniable: We're living in a fast-moving world and technology is overtaking us. Money is moved from one border to the next at just the tap of an app on your phone. Assets can be stripped and moved across borders before you blink an eye. Fraud is happening in companies around the world every day. And according to independent consultant Guy Higgs, PgCert, CFE, CCEP, government enforcement is at an all-time high.

April 10, 2018

Cybersecurity Expert Speaks on Social Engineering Techniques and GDPR Vulnerabilities

April 10, 2018/ Mandy Moody

When you think about your intellectual abilities, do you consider yourself like Star Trek's Spock or like The Simpsons' Homer Simpson? I would imagine most of us would choose or strive to be more like Spock: slow, calculated, precise and logical. But, according to cybersecurity expert Dr. Jessica Barker, any one of us can move into a Homer Simpson-like state given the right type of social engineering.

April 09, 2018

Collaboration and Trust Key to Reporting on the Panama Papers

April 09, 2018/ Sarah Hofmann

Bastian Obermayer’s life changed a few years ago when he received more than 11 million documents from an anonymous source. The collection of documents would later be known as The Panama Papers.

Obermayer, deputy head of the investigative unit of the Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung, took attendees at the 2018 ACFE Fraud Conference Europe through the story of how more than 200 investigative journalists in 70 countries helped wade through the 2.6 TB of data he was given. In his address to the hundreds of fraud fighters in attendance, Obermayer stressed not only how large the undertaking was, but how important it was for the journalists to work together.

March 24, 2017

When and How to Approach Law Enforcement and Prosecution

March 24, 2017/ Mandy Moody

You have a fraud you need to investigate and will most likely bring for prosecution. When should you approach law enforcement or a prosecutor? Law enforcement wants cases as soon as possible, while consultants want the case brought to them first. Management wants to retain control as long as possible. What do you do? And, what are the best ways to deal with the reporting of fraud in your company?

Fraud Conference News