BBCPA-Import December 28, 2012 1 min read

What Would Be a Typical Approach to a Forensic Accounting Assignment?

Forensic and Valuation Services

Forensic accountants are called upon to many assignments where little is known at the beginning. What is the typical approach when handling a forensic accounting job?

The first thing we do in any such assignment is meet with the key people involved in the case and understand exactly what the project is – what is the problem, what are they looking for, what do they want us to find out for them?
The second thing we are likely to do is interview people “from the outside in” – meaning that we start with those people least likely to be involved in the problem and work our way in, finalizing with the people most likely to be causing the problem.
The next step would, of course, be to do the investigation if it involves looking at documents or computer records.
Then the final step would be to meet with the key principals and discuss the results of what we found and what we’ve determined, then establish where we go from there.