Lessons can be learned from major fraud cases. Whether the victim is a company, public agency, nonprofit, foundation, or charity, there is a high likelihood that many of these frauds could have been prevented or detected sooner if early Red Flag warning signs had been identified and acted upon. Fraud Prevention and Detection: Warning Signs and the Red Flag System will enable officers and directors, internal and external stakeholders, as well as outside analysts to protect themselves and their organizations against fraud by effectively detecting, analyzing, and acting on early Red Flag warning signs. Based on an empirically tested strategy, the Red Flag System reflects the authors’ more than 100 years combined experience in the investigation of fraud in high-profile, global cases in North America, Africa, Europe, and the Far East.

Readers of this book will:

• Acquire a general awareness of the nature, characteristics, and dynamics of fraud
• Understand the process for determining whether a fraud has been committed
• Develop an understanding of enterprise risk management approaches for fraud risk management, compliance risk management, and managing the risk of fraudulent financial reporting―including an understanding of the limitations inherent in these approaches
• Learn how to find Red Flag indicators of fraud or suspicious transactions in financial statements, budgets, and contracts
• Know how to ensure that, once a Red Flag has been identified, appropriate action is taken

Fraud can lead to significant financial loss as well as bad press and publicity with significant reputational impact for officers, directors, corporations, and their stakeholders. This book’s no-nonsense approach empowers those charged with protecting organizations to stop these frauds before the organization’s livelihood is jeopardized or to mitigate damage when fraud has occurred.