Corporate Fraud Across The Globe

Based on theoretical foundations and evidence-based case studies, this book identifies the fundamental motivations underpinning corporate fraud in both developing and developed countries. The book offers practical solutions in terms of monitoring and potentially preventing future corporate fraud activity. It is expected that uncovered corporate fraud negatively affects the public reputation, and financial performance of fraudulent firms. However, what is of more importance for fraudulent firms is how to regain the trust of customers, investors, and other stakeholders, as this impacts the long-term sustainability of businesses. Operational strategies, including reform, provide an effective channel for a fraudulent firm’s business sustainability yet this notion remains unexplored in the literature. This authored research book argues that the choice of appropriate operational strategies is critical as they serve as an effective channel for fraudulent firms to re-gain the trust from customers and markets, re-establish their reputation, and enhance the firm’s long-term value. The authors posit that there is no ‘one-size fits-all’ approach because the choice of effective operational strategies is needed to acknowledge the significance of context such as industry type, economic conditions, legal frameworks as well as the firm’s fraudulent characteristics.

Corporate fraud is unlike any other risk that an organisation has to manage. It requires us to believe that we can be deceived by individuals that we know, trust and do business with – one of life's 'inconvenient truths'. So, we often choose to believe many of the myths that prevail: 'our people would not commit fraud'... 'fraud couldn't happen to us, we're a stable organisation'... 'we would know quickly if it happened, we watch the vulnerable areas'. The fact is that people are driven by complex motivations and fraudsters exploit opportunities and gaps in the fabric of their organisation, particularly during times of change. Notable cases include Bernard Madoff's $65 Billion fake Ponzi Scheme, and the Libor manipulation by Barclays who were consequently fined £450 million. To spot a fraud early relies on looking at the organisation through a different lens that brings the fraud trail into focus – you have to think like a fraudster, know what you are looking for and develop practical anti-fraud strategies. There are relatively few truly unique fraud schemes, but the nature of the trail and details change with economic development, advances in technology, and the emergence of new business models. Drawing on the practical experiences of fraud investigators from across the world, in this book we provide perspectives to help you identify the many guises of the 'fraud trail' - taking into account cultural, technological and social factors. Through stories of ordinary and extraordinary frauds and fraudsters and those that have investigated them, we will provide a 'fraud lens' - helping you to protect your organisation and spot the warning signs before a small problem becomes a huge fraud which could threaten its future.

Based on theoretical foundations and evidence-based case studies, this book identifies the fundamental motivations underpinning corporate fraud in both developing and developed countries. The book offers practical solutions in terms of monitoring and potentially preventing future corporate fraud activity. It is expected that uncovered corporate fraud negatively affects the public reputation, and financial performance of fraudulent firms. However, what is of more importance for fraudulent firms is how to regain the trust of customers, investors, and other stakeholders, as this impacts the long-term sustainability of businesses. Operational strategies, including reform, provide an effective channel for a fraudulent firm’s business sustainability yet this notion remains unexplored in the literature. This authored research book argues that the choice of appropriate operational strategies is critical as they serve as an effective channel for fraudulent firms to re-gain the trust from customers and markets, re-establish their reputation, and enhance the firm’s long-term value. The authors posit that there is no ‘one-size fits-all’ approach because the choice of effective operational strategies is needed to acknowledge the significance of context such as industry type, economic conditions, legal frameworks as well as the firm’s fraudulent characteristics.

Real-world help for companies combating fraud – from major management fraud to fraudulent financial reporting From the author’s more than thirty years of corporate auditing experience, Corporate Fraud features scores of useful case studies that illustrate the principles of numerous types of fraud and how to avoid them in your business. A must-have for all auditors, controllers, CFOs, and business managers, Corporate Fraud offers broad coverage of: The most common and damaging types of fraud in today’s business environment The many facets of fraud, including management fraud, corporate governance, and top-level forensics issues, as well as financial statement fraud and the interconnected nature of each Corruption: bribery, including contracting, subcontracting, and leasing; and outsourcing Misappropriation: vendor billings, skimming, and diverted receipts Fraud for the organization: money laundering, price fixing, and fraud in the international arena Order your copy today!

In 1998 Gower published the highly successful third edition of Corporate Fraud by Michael Comer. Sadly, the need for such books has not disappeared - if anything it has increased - and so this new volume has been written, concentrating on the practicalities of investigating incidences of fraud. The aim is to help ensure that you can react swiftly and effectively, recover your money, your costs and interest and punish the offenders so that a deterrent is established for others. Most importantly the book will help you return to normal working as quickly as possible. Throughout it features checklists and case examples which, together with the author's inimitable style, make this an intensely practical and lively guide to a subject strewn with potential dangers.

Corporate Fraud Exposed uncovers the motivations and drivers of fraud including agency theory, executive compensation, and organizational culture. It delves into the consequences of fraud for various firm stakeholders, and its spillover effects on other corporations, the political environment, and financial market participants.

Fact: Barings was an excellent company, with professional managers. Their careers were devastated by fraud. How many other managers are now in the same position without knowing it? Fact: The average company loses between 2 per cent and 5 per cent of its turnover as a result of dishonesty. When Mike Comer’s book first appeared it quickly established itself worldwide as the standard work in its field. This third edition is a radical revision reflecting the world of EDI, electronic commerce, derivatives, computerization, empowerment, downsizing and other recent developments. Ironically, many of these have exposed companies to an alarming range of new risks. With the help of real-life case histories the author identifies the main types of fraud, the circumstances in which they occur and the telltale signs that give them away. He examines internal control systems and the attitudes and practices that allow fraud to flourish. He explains in detail how fraud can be prevented and detected, and shows why it is that many fashionable management techniques can also potentially pave the way to corporate disaster.

An entertaining, deeply informative explanation of how high-level financial crimes work, written by an industry insider who’s an expert in the field. The way most white-collar crime works is by manipulating institutional psychology. That means creating something that looks as much as possible like a normal set of transactions. The drama comes later, when it all unwinds. Financial crime seems horribly complicated, but there are only so many ways you can con someone out of what’s theirs. In Lying for Money, veteran regulatory economist and market analyst Dan Davies tells the story of fraud through a genealogy of financial malfeasance, including: the Great Salad Oil swindle, the Pigeon King International fraud, the fictional British colony of Poyais in South America, the Boston Ladies’ Deposit Company, the Portuguese Banknote Affair, Theranos, and the Bre-X scam. Davies brings new insights into these schemes and shows how all frauds, current and historical, belong to one of four categories (“long firm,” counterfeiting, control fraud, and market crimes) and operate on the same basic principles. The only elements that change are the victims, the scammers, and the terminology. Davies has years of experience picking the bones out of some of the most famous frauds of the modern age. Now he reveals the big picture that emerges from their labyrinths of deceit and explains how fraud has shaped the entire development of the modern world economy.