Peer Reviewed Research Manuscript

FORENSIC ACCOUNTING: A WAY TO FIGHT, DETER AND DETECT FRAUD

Jonika Lamba
The NorthCap University, India
Esha Jain
The NorthCap University, India

FORENSIC ACCOUNTING: A WAY TO FIGHT, DETER AND DETECT FRAUD

IARS' International Research Journal, vol. 10, núm. 1, 2020

International Association of Research Scholars

Abstract: Forensic Accounting is one of the emerging fields for accountancy professionals. Forensic Accounting is the function of bookkeeping, auditing and analytical expertise to combat the financial and white-collar crimes. The scope of forensic accounting has expanded due to cases of corporate scams and financial frauds. Forensic Accounting is the dynamic and strategic tool which helps in combating the corruption, financial crimes and frauds through the application of forensic auditing techniques. There is a huge demand for forensic auditors in the field of insurance, banks, police armed forces and government departments. This paper shows the application of information technology and cyber forensics to curb the malfunctioning done by corporate. In this paper role of the forensic auditor has been explained and the various techniques employed by forensic auditors have also been discussed. The latest cases in the field of forensic accounting have also been included in this paper. Forensic auditors can help the economy to grow and protect the interest of various stakeholders.

Keywords: Accounting, auditors, crimes, forensic, frauds.

I. Introduction

Forensic accounting is the emerging accounting field due to increased financial and professional violations. Forensic accounting is the incorporation of bookkeeping, examining, and insightful aptitudes. The term fraud has been defined differently under various laws such as the Indian Contract Act, 1872, Companies Act 2013, Indian Penal Code 1860, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. In short, fraud is the covering of any reality or maltreatment of the position with the intent to deceive and gain undue advantage over the other party. The numbers of fraudulent activities have been accelerating all over the world such as scams of Satyam, Enron, and WorldCom, etc. Forensic Accounting is the dynamic and strategic tool which helps in combating the corruption, financial crimes, and frauds through the application of forensic auditing techniques such as trend analysis, ratio analysis, CAATs ( Computer Assisted Auditing Techniques), Generalized Audit Software, Data Mining Techniques, Forensic analysis of material and electronic evidence. The aim of forensic accounting is to identify the culprit behind the fraud and restore the downgraded public confidence in corporate functioning. In India, frauds have been rising at a fast pace due to a lack of proper monitoring and control systems. Companies have to comply with the laws and regulations so that they are less prone to penalties and legal actions and it will help them to emerge as good corporate citizens. Forensic Accounting is the specialized field of accounting which ensures that financial statements of the company are prepared according to the applicable accounting standards and principles. Corporate fraud can be curbed with the help of skilled forensic accountants. Corporate frauds and scams have eroded the public image of the companies and it has made them suffer huge losses. Companies have been able to commit fraud because they have the support of top management as it has been seen in many corporate scams such as Satyam Computers fraud.

II. Literature Review

Rezaee et al. (2004) gathered assessments of the academicians and professionals with respect to the significance, pertinence, and conveyance of measurable bookkeeping training and found that the enthusiasm for scientific bookkeeping was relied upon to proceed to increment and more colleges were wanting to give criminological bookkeeping instruction; the two gatherings of respondents saw legal bookkeeping training as being connected and helpful to bookkeeping understudies, the business network, the bookkeeping calling, and bookkeeping programs; and most of 49 recommended legal bookkeeping points were considered as significant for joining into the bookkeeping educational program by the two gatherings of reviewed academicians and experts. It was discovered that some huge contrasts existed in regard to the topical inclusion of legal bookkeeping among academicians and specialists.

Rathinaraj & Chendroyaperumal (2010) analyzed some of the issues acknowledged with the operation of the internet for distortion by digital con artists for Financial Fraud and the strategies used. It will similarly give an investigation of the current administration and their proficiency in battling this type of cross-outskirt illegal behavior accepting India as a contextual analysis. This paper has introduced the chronicled root of monetary fakes and displays a little study of some famous money related cheats submitted as of late in India.

Bhasin (2013) investigated through an overview study, which was directed in the National Capital Region of India during 2011-12 if there are contrasts in the perspectives on the significant aptitudes of FA among bookkeeping experts, scholastics, and clients of criminological bookkeeping administrations. Altogether, nine inquiries were posed to 40 experts, 80 scholastics and 80 clients of measurable bookkeeping administrations that relate to request their perspectives on what aptitudes are esteemed naturally imperative to FA. At present, a few Universities in India are thinking about adding measurable bookkeeping courses to their educational program. The consequences of the current examination may give some direction to instructors to the advancement of the measurable bookkeeping educational plan by distinguishing the relevant abilities to go with a program of study.

Subash (2015) analyzed the effect of various corporate scams on the financial health of the economy and had also explained the role and importance of forensic accounting in protecting corporate governance. Forensic accounting practices could play a pivotal role in maintaining ethical culture by coordinating companies’ efforts to combat fraudulent activities and emerge as good corporate citizens of the country.

Hegazy et al. (2017) explored the nature of forensic accounting in the UK and discovered that criminological bookkeeping in the UK was a multidisciplinary field of action, which was less centered around bookkeeping as there were next to no possibility of turning into a perceived calling within a reasonable time-frame, yet there was a plausibility, in light of groups of individuals with reciprocal aptitudes instead of people with a typical base of authority abilities.

Huber (2017) analyzed the geometry of extortion hypothesis and contended that legal bookkeeping specialists and professionals must perceive that the misrepresentation triangle doesn't have any significant bearing to extortion and must consider that there were n-measurements of budgetary wrongdoing that must be represented in any model that endeavors to clarify, anticipate, forestall, recognize, and arraign money related violations, of which misrepresentation is just a subset.

Kramer et al. (2017) determined views of educators and practitioners regarding forensic accounting education and found that the two gatherings concurred the interest for criminological accounting administrations will augment sooner rather than later and that they lean toward a different course or degree be offered at the alumni and undergrad levels, there were a few critical contrasts between the instructors' and experts' conclusions on scientific accounting content and favored enlightening methods.

Eisenberg (2018) dealt with the use of the total assets technique in the monetary wrongdoing contextual analysis of John and Gayle Fawn and indicated that the expansion in total assets and private spending of John and Gayle Fawn could be represented by undisclosed reserve funds from past business salary of John Fawn and by detailed pay for the year 2012/2013. This couldn't have appeared for the years 2013/14 and 2014/15, which comprises a financing hole. It was presumed that the respondents have had the option to represent the total assets increment and private going through with unreported salary in the determined range in 2013/14 and 2014/15.

Nalawade (2019) The increasing number of fakes and the vulnerability of the specialists to battle them have acquired Forensic Accounting in the spotlight. Legal bookkeeping is the claim to fame practice region of accounting that portrays commitment that outcome from the authentic or foreseen case. Criminological bookkeeping is a significant instrument to identify, examine and forestall extortion. To distinguish and forestall monetary fakes and clerical wrongdoings, criminological bookkeeping is utilizing different apparatuses. Right now, the endeavor has been made to examine the different cheats that occurred, and which are constantly hampering the development of the economy and the utilization of Forensic Accounting procedures to battle them. Forensic Accounting analysis helps to assist in legal matters forming the basis for argument, debate and conflict resolution.

Öztürk & Usul (2020) determined that accounting fraud may occur in enterprises within the framework of forensic accounting through rule-based expert systems. For this purpose, various applications had been implemented in a large-scale production enterprise through the use of rule-based expert systems for the determination of accounting fraud. Benford’s Law, risk levels, and various other criteria were used in the creation of expert systems. According to the results obtained from the study, it had been seen that by means of rule-based expert system applications, enterprises can better detect existing frauds and prevent further irregularities in the future.

III. Objectives of Study

The objectives of this study are:

IV. Methodology

The information gathered in this study has been taken from secondary sources of data collection including authentic sources as well as past studies. The study is a descriptive analysis of the corporate scams and frauds in India. This study will be helpful for the modern corporate world as they will be able to learn from the past corporate failures and plan for operations strategically.

V. Observations & Results

VI. Conclusion

The explicit objective of this study is to create an understanding of forensic accounting in India. Cyber Forensics has revolutionized the scope of forensic accounting. There are various techniques such as benchmarking, ratios analysis, specialist software, system analysis, etc, which can be employed beforehand to curb the malpractices of companies. Due to the increasing number of scams in India, it is the need of the hour to have forensic professionals to handle the cases of financial frauds and scams. In India, frauds have been rising at a fast pace due to a lack of proper monitoring and control mechanisms. Companies have to comply with the laws and regulations so that they are less prone to penalties and legal actions and it will help them to emerge as good corporate citizens. Forensic Accounting is the focused field of accounting which ensures that financial statements of the company are prepared according to the applicable accounting standards and principles. On the basis of the scams in the past, we have seen in this paper that India has already encountered heavy losses due to major corporate frauds. Due to various corporate failures, the government has set up various investigating offices such as Serious Fraud Office that has been set up for recognition and anticipation of economic irregularities and scams and the Central Vigilance Commission deals with cases of fraud and bribery. The companies should comply with the SEBI guidelines and provisions of Listing obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR),2015 Due to the rise in frauds, the government has made amendments in corporate and economic laws such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Insolvency Act, etc. As a Forensic professional, Forensic Accounting has a promising future in India due to the increase in corporate frauds and white-collar crimes. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that Forensic Accounting ensures the inclusive growth of the economy and helps in unveiling the unethical practices followed by big corporate giants.

VII. References

[1]. Atağan, G., & Kavak, A. (2017). Relationship between fraud auditing and forensic accounting. International Journal of Contemporary Economics & Administrative Sciences, 7.

[2]. Bhasin, M. L. (2013). Corporate governance and forensic accountant: An exploratory study. Journal of Accounting, Business and Management (JABM), 20(2).

[3]. Bhasin, M. L. (2016). Creative accounting scam at Satyam computer limited: how the fraud story unfolded?. Open Journal of Accounting, 5(04), 57.

[4]. Bologna, J., & Lindquist, R. J. (1995). Fraud auditing and forensic accounting: new tools and techniques. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

[5]. Collin Greenland (2001), Demystifying Forensic Accounting, The Weekend Observer, Pg.5, December 7, 2001.

[6]. Crain, M. A., Hopwood, W. S., Gendler, R. S., Young, G.R., & Pacini, C. (2019). Essentials of forensic accounting. John Wiley & Sons.

[7]. Davis, C., Farrell, R., & Ogilby, S. (2010). Characteristics and skills of the Forensic Accountant. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

[8]. Eisenberg, P. (2018). Application of the net worth method in forensic accounting investigations. International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(10), 1-23.

[9]. Gligorić, M. (2017). The purpose of forensic accounting in detecting occupational fraud in contemporary corporate governance. Challenges in Modern Corporate Governance.

[10]. Hegazy, S., Sangster, A., & Kotb, A. (2017). Mapping forensic accounting in the UK. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 28, 43-56.

[11]. Huber, W. (2017). Forensic accounting, fraud theory, and the end of the fraud triangle. Journal of Theoretical Accounting Research, 12(2).

[12]. Kramer, B., Seda, M., & Bobashev, G. (2017). Current opinions on forensic accounting education. Accounting Research Journal, 30(3), 249-264. Retrieved from: https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/ha ndle/1/14943/Kramer_ARJ_2018_A1b.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y, accessed on 1 February 2020.

[13]. Kranacher, M. J., & Riley, R. (2019). Forensic accounting and fraud examination. John Wiley & Sons.

[14]. Kranacher, M. J., Morris, B. W., Pearson, T. A., & Riley Jr, R. A. (2008). A model curriculum for education in fraud and forensic accounting. Issues in Accounting Education, 23(4), 505-519.

[15]. Kumar, D. R., & Vijayalaksmi, D. (2018). A study on role and responsibility of forensic accounting in fraud detecetion and legal disputes. International Journal of Management and Social Sciences (IJMSS), 8(1.4), 147-148.

[16]. Kurnaz, N., Köksal, I., & Ulusoy, T. (2019). Forensic accounting in financial fraud control in digital environment: A research on independent auditors. Electronic Turkish Studies, 14(3).

[17]. Lakshmi, P., & Menon, G. (2016). Forensic accounting: A checkmate for corporate fraud. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 12(9), 453-460.

[18]. Moid, S. (2016). Application of forensic accounting to investigate scams in India. MIJBRMITS International Journal of Business Research, 3(1), 24- 31.

[19]. Nalawade, s. r. m. (2019). role of forensic accounting in combating the scams of banking sector in india. bims international research journal of management and commerce, 4(1).

[20]. Nigrini, M. J. (2011). Forensic analytics: methods and techniques for forensic accounting investigations (Vol. 558). John Wiley & Sons.

[21]. Öztürk, M. S., & Usul, H. (2020). Detection of Accounting Frauds Using the Rule-Based Expert Systems within the Scope of Forensic Accounting (Vol. 102, pp. 155-171). Emerald Publishing Ltd.

[22]. Peshori, K. S. (2015). Forensic Accounting a Multidimensional Approach to Investigating Frauds and Scams. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 2(3).

[23]. Prakash, N. (2013). Forensic Accounting: A Budding Field in India. Indian Journal of Accounting, 45(1), 102-111.

[24]. Rezaee, Z., Crumbley, D. L., & Elmore, R. C. (2004). Forensic accounting education: A survey of academicians and practitioners. Advances in Accounting Education, Forthcoming. Retrieved from: http://mohammedshanikat.synthasite.com/resources/F orensic%20Accounting%20%20eduaction.pdf, accessed on 1 February 2020.

[25]. Smith, G. S., & Crumbley, D. L. (2009). Defining a forensic audit. Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, 4(1), 3.

[26]. Sofianti, S. P. D., Ludigdo, U., & Irianto, G. (2014). The perception of the practitioners and students towards the subject of forensic accounting and fraud examination. Journal of Economics, Business, & Accountancy Ventura, 17(2), 281-292.

[27]. Stone, D. N., & Miller, T. C. (2012). The state of, and prospects for, forensic and fraud research that matters. Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting, 4(2), 35-76.

[28]. Subash, T. (2015). Forensic accounting and Corporate Governance. EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies, 5(11), 49-54.

HTML generado a partir de XML-JATS4R por