ForensicSpot8 modules
Forensic Accounting and Financial Forensics
Investigating financial crime: fraud examination, money laundering, asset tracing, and the accountant's role as an expert witness.
- 48hours
- 29topics
- 8modules
Module 16 hrs4 topics
Foundations of Forensic Accounting
What the discipline is, where it sits inside the broader financial and legal system, how it developed, and the professional frameworks that govern it.
Start module- Scope and History of Forensic AccountingForensic accounting applies accounting, auditing, and investigative skills to fraud cases, traced from early court valuations through Enron to today's practice.13 min
- Professional Standards and BodiesMaps the professional credentials and ethics frameworks governing forensic accounting, from the ACFE's CFE to the AICPA's CFF.14 min
- The Fraud Triangle and Cressey's ModelDonald Cressey's fraud triangle, pressure, opportunity, and rationalization, the central model for why trusted employees commit fraud.13 min
- The ACFE Occupational Fraud TaxonomyThe ACFE Fraud Tree, which classifies occupational fraud into asset misappropriation, corruption, and financial-statement fraud.13 min
Module 26 hrs4 topics
Financial-Statement Fraud
Schemes that falsify reported financial results, the accounting mechanisms used, landmark cases, and detection techniques.
Start module- Revenue Recognition FraudHow companies manipulate revenue timing and existence, from premature recognition to fictitious sales, and the standards that draw the line.12 min
- Expense and Liability ManipulationHow companies inflate earnings by understating costs, capitalising expenses that belong on the income statement, and hiding liabilities off-balance-sheet.12 min
- Case Studies: Enron, WorldCom, and SatyamEnron, WorldCom, and Satyam: three landmark frauds examined through scheme mechanics, discovery path, and the regulation each triggered.13 min
- Asset Misappropriation and SkimmingAsset misappropriation and skimming, the most common occupational fraud, and the internal controls that stop or detect each scheme.12 min
Module 36 hrs4 topics
Money Laundering and AML Frameworks
The mechanics of laundering illicit proceeds, global regulatory architecture, and compliance obligations for financial institutions.
Start module- Money Laundering: Placement, Layering, and IntegrationMoney laundering's three stages, placement, layering, and integration, and the stage-specific evidence each leaves for investigators.12 min
- The FATF Framework and Global AML StandardsThe FATF's global AML and counter-terrorism financing standards, enforced through mutual evaluations and its grey/black lists.10 min
- AML Compliance: KYC, CDD, and Suspicious Activity ReportingAML compliance mechanics: know-your-customer onboarding, proportionate due diligence, enhanced PEP checks, and SAR/STR filing obligations.12 min
- Bribery and Corruption: FCPA and UK Bribery ActThe US FCPA 1977 and UK Bribery Act 2010, their extraterritorial reach, and how they compare to the OECD Convention and India's Prevention of Corruption Act.13 min
Module 46 hrs3 topics
Asset Tracing and Recovery
Methods for locating and recovering assets moved through complex domestic and cross-border structures.
Start module- Asset Tracing MethodologiesA practical guide to how forensic accountants trace misappropriated funds across accounts, corporate structures, and jurisdictions.14 min
- International Asset RecoveryHow stolen assets are traced, frozen, and repatriated across borders via mutual legal assistance treaties, illustrated by Abacha, Marcos, and 1MDB.14 min
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency FraudHow fraudulent transfers, hidden assets, and preference payments subvert insolvency proceedings, and how examiners unravel them.15 min
Module 56 hrs3 topics
Data Analytics and Computer-Assisted Techniques
Quantitative and computational methods that forensic accountants use to detect anomalies in financial data at scale.
Start module- Benford's Law and Digital AnalysisBenford's Law predicts leading-digit frequency in financial data, and deviations from it can flag manipulated figures.13 min
- Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs)Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques let fraud examiners interrogate entire datasets rather than samples, surfacing anomalies manual testing misses.11 min
- Data Analytics in Fraud InvestigationsNetwork analysis, timeline reconstruction, and machine-learning anomaly scoring, the analytics behind detecting and presenting fraud schemes in court.13 min
Module 66 hrs4 topics
Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and Digital Evidence
Tracing value through blockchain ledgers, recovering digital financial evidence, and meeting the evidentiary standards courts require.
Start module- Blockchain Fundamentals for InvestigatorsA grounding in distributed ledgers, UTXO and account models, and the transparency properties investigators rely on when tracing cryptocurrency.13 min
- Cryptocurrency Tracing TechniquesAddress clustering, transaction-graph analysis, and exchange de-anonymisation, the methods behind tracing cryptocurrency, illustrated by Silk Road and Bitfinex.13 min
- Digital Evidence in Financial CasesHow investigators acquire, preserve, and authenticate digital financial records, covering hash verification and electronic-evidence rules across jurisdictions.13 min
- Ponzi and Pyramid SchemesThe mechanics of Ponzi and pyramid schemes, how cash-flow analysis exposes them, and the recovery proceedings that follow, from Madoff to Allen Stanford.13 min
Module 76 hrs3 topics
Investigation, Interview, and the Engagement
The practical conduct of a forensic accounting engagement, from planning and evidence gathering through the investigative interview.
Start module- The Forensic Accounting EngagementHow a forensic accounting engagement runs from the first phone call to a defensible final report, covering privilege, scope, and conflicts of interest.14 min
- Forensic Interviewing TechniquesThe cognitive interview, the PEACE model, and behavior analysis, the structured methods forensic accountants use to gather admissions.15 min
- Evidence Collection and Chain of CustodyThe protocols forensic accountants follow to collect, preserve, and transfer financial evidence while keeping chain of custody intact.13 min
Module 86 hrs4 topics
Reporting, Expert Testimony, and Damages
Communicating findings to lawyers, regulators, and courts; quantifying economic loss; and meeting the professional standards applied to expert witnesses.
Start module- The Forensic Accounting ReportHow a forensic accounting report translates complex findings into court-ready language, with structure varying by litigation versus internal use.14 min
- Expert Testimony and Court StandardsThe qualification and admissibility standards for expert testimony across jurisdictions, and how to prepare for cross-examination.12 min
- Damages QuantificationDamages quantification: choosing a methodology, building a defensible but-for scenario, and resolving the discounting issues that split the parties' figures.12 min
- Regulatory Investigations: SFIO, ED, and Comparative FrameworksHow a forensic accountant's role shifts across regulatory investigations, from India's SFIO and ED to US, UK, and multi-agency cross-border matters.12 min