Workshop on Fraud Investigation and Detection for Public Sector Accountants & Auditors

Program overview:

Government auditors have a variety of roles related to fraud ranging from limited involvement to complete responsibility for the internal investigation and reporting to law enforcement. This course helps government auditors understand and redefine their roles. It provides practical approaches government auditors can use to increase their own effectiveness in detecting and responding to fraud, as well as help management fight dishonest and fraudulent activities. ​

For whom:

Auditors both internal and external, finance personnel, senior management, operational controllers, risk officers, and all those who seek to detect, prevent and investigate fraud risk in the Public sector organizations.

Learning objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• effectively detect fraud in their routine audit activities;
• refine their investigative skills to help their ministry, department or agency address the challenges of fraud;
• use modern techniques for detecting and investigating fraud;
• design new investigative methods, strategies and approaches to help fight fraud in their ministry, department or agency; and
• carry out fraud investigation professionally and confidentially with fraud documentation and fraud reporting skills.

Course outline:

Day 1: Fraud Concepts and Challenges

• Concepts of Fraud and its’ challenges in the Public Sector
• Dealing with Fraud Management
• Expectations about Detection and Investigation
• Emotional responses to fraud
• Who really steals and the role of controls

Day 2: Dealing with Fraud in Government Environment

• How fraud in government is different
• Creating an environment hostile to fraud
• Defining fraud-related responsibilities and expectations
• The role of fraud policy and Policy Deployment
• Why government auditors don’t detect fraud

Day 3: Fraud Detection

• The five-step approach to fraud detection
• Understanding symptoms of fraud
• Relating fraud exposures to symptoms and audit

program steps

• Practical use of behavioral red flags
• Fraud exposures and case examples
• The Impact of Technology on Fraud
  • Using data mining to detect fraud
  • Computer crime examples
• Understanding your symptoms

Day 4: Fraud Challenges Related to Purchasing and

Contracting

• Fraud in the purchasing process
• Exposures in contracting
• Identifying and proving kickbacks
• Suggestions for auditing purchasing and contracting

Day 5: Fraud Investigation and Prevention Strategies

• The government auditors’ role in investigations
• Conducting complete investigations
• How to prove wrongdoing

Using an investigation checklist

Tools, Techniques and Strategies for effective Fraud Investigation

Practical Approaches to Prevention

–               The four steps for fraud prevention

 Mobilizing management in the fight against fraud / Report Writing

Training Methodology

Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, audio-visual aids will be used to reinforce these teaching/learning methods.