Skip to content

Fraudulent financial reporting

Definition

One of the two ISA 240 fraud categories. It involves intentional misstatement or omission in financial statements to deceive users: overstating revenues, understating liabilities, or manipulating disclosures. The amounts involved are typically large, making detection by standard audit procedures more feasible than for misappropriation schemes.

Related terms

Audit expectation gap
The difference between what auditing standards require auditors to do and what the public, investors, or regulators believe auditors are responsible for....
ISA 240
International Standard on Auditing 240, 'The Auditor's Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements,' issued by the IAASB. Sets...
Material misstatement due to fraud
A misstatement in the financial statements caused by intentional act (fraud rather than error) that is large enough, individually or collectively, to...
Misappropriation of assets
The second ISA 240 fraud category. It involves theft or misuse of an entity's assets by employees or management: cash skimming, expense...
Professional skepticism
An attitude requiring the auditor to question information, remain alert to conditions that may indicate misstatement, and critically assess audit evidence rather...

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.