Forensic Accounting Courses

Online Forensic Accounting Courses FAQs
 

Forensic accountants who work for the government may find themselves involved in cracking identity theft rings, tracing the financial footprints of al-Qaeda at the FBI, or investigating a tax evader’s drug-smuggling activities for the IRS.  To say the least, it’s an interesting way to spend a day!

Opportunities for qualified forensic accountants abound in private companies, particularly with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley act (SOX).  CEOs must now certify that their financial statements are faithful representations of the financial position and results of operations of their companies and rely more heavily on internal controls to detect any misstatement that would otherwise be contained in these financials.   Thus, publicly held companies are likely to see the necessity for forensic accountants as a part of a strong internal control effort to comply with governmental and market demands for accurate reporting.  Beyond SOX, forensic accountants who work for private companies help prevent and detect misuse of company resources.

Many governmental agencies are involved in forensic activities, creating opportunities for those trained in forensic investigation.  For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been recently involved in a project to curb e-auction abuse.  The widespread investigation has so far resulted in 57 cases in which civil or criminal charges have been filed, most of which involved sellers who either received payment for product and didn’t deliver or delivered an inferior product.   The Internal Revenue Service employs persons who use forensic skills to uncover unreported income and overstated expenses.  Not surprisingly, the Governmental Accounting Office (GAO) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employs their share of financial sleuths – in 2002, the FBI had twice the number of forensic accountants it had in 1992.  Even the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) hires forensic accountants.  These agencies use forensic accountants to investigate money laundering schemes, tax evasion, identity theft, and arson.

 Knowledge of this specialized are of investigative accounting is critical to being aware of the presence of fraud and determining an approach to investigation.  Joseph Wells, president and founder of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, said that if he were to hire a fraud examiner, he’d like that person to have at least a hundred hours of formal fraud education (AccountingToday, December 2002).  Because of this need for knowledge, Florida Atlantic University is offering a masters degree with a concentration in forensic accounting.  Our objective is to help you acquire the knowledge necessary to be successful in this area.