Stock fraud scams tough to combat in internet age

Posted by & filed under Fraud.

Canadians arrested in penny stock scheme that allegedly saw global investors lose $140M A penny stock fraud scheme that bilked investors in 35 countries out of more than $140 million is raising questions about how authorities can combat such financial scams in the internet age. Four Canadians carried out the purported fraud with the help… Read more »

Canadian’s firm used in huge Russian tax scandal, plus How the Rich hide their money!

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Corporate Restructuring, Corporate Social Responsibility, Fraud Accounting, International Accounting, Taxation, Taxation & Planning, Uncategorized.

Caribbean agency helped set up offshore companies connected to $230M scam It’s a tale with the cloak-and-dagger intrigue of a Hollywood thriller: a $230-million heist, corrupt Russian police and government officials, prison beatings, a dead lawyer, Kafkaesque trials and a diplomatic spat between international superpowers. And now, for the first time, secret files obtained exclusively… Read more »

March is Fraud Prevention Month, is your business fraud savvy?

Posted by & filed under Fraud Accounting, Uncategorized.

Top 5 Fraud Prevention Tips for Businesses Raise awareness. A significant number of frauds are detected either accidentally or as a result of tip-offs. This reinforces the importance of raising fraud awareness in the workplace. Organizations should emphasize that it is everyone’s responsibility to find and report fraud. Find the red flags. Fraud cannot be… Read more »

Procurement Fraud, Are You Prepared?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Accounting Principles, Canadian Economy, Fraud Accounting.

As accountants and financial directors we need to be aware that:Pressures and incentives, opportunity, and rationalization  is a common human element which management must be aware of. Abuse within the procurement cycle (Purchasing Dept.) is common and can be damaging, from the magnitude of potential monetary losses to the reputational damage that can come from a… Read more »

Profile of a Canadian Fraudster!

Posted by & filed under Fraud Accounting, Uncategorized.

A KPMG Canada survey report:  KPMG’s Forensic division of Advisory Services, prepared a report that surveyed executives of Canada’s largest companies on the topic of people who had defrauded their company. The report explores who commits fraud, how the fraud is carried out, and what factors lead someone to commit fraud. KPMG Forensic recently published Profile… Read more »

Nortel accounting made auditors `uncomfortable,’ witness says

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Fraud Accounting, Uncategorized.

The first witness in the fraud trial of three former Nortel Networks executives says external auditors were “uncomfortable” with some of the company’s accounting practices.  The witness, Brian Harrison, Nortel’s former director of financial planning and analysis, says he had “very little” contact with auditors in his role.But Harrison says that in one rare meeting… Read more »

Too good to be true

Posted by & filed under Fraud Accounting.

 In 2008, two men, one American, one Canadian, catapulted investment fraud into headlines around the world. The Canadian was 67-year-old Earl Jones, a Montreal native who bilked 158 investors, including his cancer-stricken brother, his own daughter and other family members, out of $50 million. Like Madoff, Jones had managed to get away with his Ponzi-type… Read more »

What can a firm do to prevent corporate fraud?

Posted by & filed under Fraud Accounting.

Budget cuts and reorganizations raise the pressure for individuals to meet performance targets the risk of fraud increases.  Steps firms can take to help curtail corporate fraud: 1.     Know who you hire. Contact references and verify the education of potential hires. Conduct criminal and financial background checks on those being considered for financially sensitive positions…. Read more »

Going Full Throttle towards IFRS, could this cause more Accounting Shenanigans?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Fraud Accounting, IFRS.

Canada is in the midst of a seismic shift in accounting standards— one that will tie the country more tightly to international commerce, but might also result in investors being taken for a ride. Starting this year, Canadian public companies will issue financial statements using international financial reporting standards (IFRS) instead of the generally accepted… Read more »

Scrushy Back in the News

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a new review of the convictions in the government corruption case against former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and ex-HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy. Questions: 1. What is the “honest services” fraud law? 2. What is a “quid pro quo” agreement? 3. A judge issued a $2.9 billion civil judgment… Read more »