Forensic accounting studies financial records and other information to determine if someone has committed a crime. Forensic accountants are often called in to examine a company’s books when there has been a breach of trust or fraud. You can also hire them to help with internal investigations, business disputes, shareholder lawsuits, or divorce proceedings.
When you hire an accountant specializing in forensic accounting services, they will use their expertise to analyze your business’s finances and come up with possible scenarios that might explain any problems you have encountered.
For instance, if one of your employees was recently fired for theft and believed themself to be innocent because they only took $100 from petty cash instead of $500. Then the forensic accountant would likely suggest that maybe he had stolen more than once before this incident happened. So perhaps he needed some extra money for drugs which could explain why he took more than one day’s worth on his last day before being let go.
Dealing with Fraud
- Identifying fraud: Forensic accounting services can help you identify instances of fraudulent activity by uncovering inconsistencies in your company’s financial records.
- Determining the extent of fraud: If a forensic accountant has identified what looks like fraudulent activity, they will go into further detail to determine how widespread it is within your organization. That way, you’ll know exactly how much money needs to be recovered for your business to bounce back from its losses and return back to profitability.
- Determining the cause of fraud: If someone within an organization has been stealing money from their employer and no one else is aware of it yet, that person may be able to keep up this practice longer than if everyone were watching them closely. They identify the patterns among employees who have committed similar crimes before and determine where those patterns originated. A forensic accountant will help you figure out who might still be hiding something from his coworkers so that they can be monitored more closely by their superiors.
- Investigate fraud: Once someone has been suspected of committing some kind of deed, whether intentional or accidental, HR professionals with legal backgrounds like attorneys or accountants need to take action against the suspects.
Investigating Tax Evasion and Other Crimes
Tax evasion is a serious issue for any government, as it can severely impact the level of services provided to everyone else.
It’s also important because it affects everyone in a community. While some people may be able to pay their taxes and still have enough money left over to get by, not everyone has this luxury. If you evade your taxes and don’t pay your fair share, you’re stealing from other people who need that money more than you do.
Finally, catching tax evaders helps ensure that they won’t be tempted to commit other crimes. If they know that there’s a chance someone might catch them stealing money from the government or lying about how much income they made during tax season, then they’ll think twice before trying anything like that again!
Business and Divorce Cases
Business and divorce cases are two of the most common reasons for needing forensic accounting services. In business cases, forensic accountants can help determine if a business is profitable or not. If it is, then there’s no need for them to be involved in the case; the business can stand on its own. However, if they find that the company isn’t profitable, they might need to figure out why this is the case.
For example, maybe some accounting mistakes are being made by one or both company owners? Perhaps it was run poorly and didn’t make enough sales? Forensic accountants know how to uncover these kinds of problems and come up with solutions for them so that you can get back on track as quickly as possible!
In divorce cases where one spouse is hiding assets from another, forensic accountants may be able to help prove whether or not certain purchases were made with funds taken from a private bank account when they weren’t supposed to be used for personal expenses! This expert testimony could mean big things when determining who gets what during settlement talks between couples who want nothing more than peace after splitting up their lives together.”
The Advantages of Working with a Forensic Accountant
Forensic accounting services can help you:
- Detect fraud. Accountants are trained to spot irregularities in financial records and anomalies that indicate potentially illegal activity. For example, if someone is taking a salary but not reporting it on their tax returns, this would tell fraudulent behavior.
- Detect tax evasion. Forensic accounting services can also help you discover how much money someone owes in taxes and how they might be able to reduce or eliminate the amount by finding legal deductions or exemptions available to them.
- Investigate crimes committed against your business. For example, businesses can submit fraudulent invoices for goods or services never delivered. This type of crime will require forensic auditing because it requires evidence such as emails between employees discussing what was supposed to happen versus what did happen during deliveries. This type of investigation protects businesses from losing money due to criminals who prey on unsuspecting victims through deception and trickery during normal business operations.
Forensic Accountants Can Help Businesses by Preventing and Catching Fraudulent Activity
Forensic accountants can help businesses in several ways. First, they can help prevent fraudulent activity by developing strong internal controls and auditing procedures. Second, they can help catch fraudulent activity that has already happened by conducting investigations based on their review of existing records and by interviewing employees. Finally, forensic accountants can provide expert testimony once charges have been filed against a company or individual following an investigation into possible fraudulence.
The bottom line is that when you hire a forensic accounting firm to audit your organization’s books and records, you get peace of mind. You feel relaxed that your business will be protected from internal theft or external theft perpetrated by outsiders who may try to steal from you in some way (like filing false claims for tax refunds).
