In Fraud Examiners in White-Collar Crime Investigations, Petter Gottschalk examines and evaluates the investigative processes used to combat white-collar crime. He also presents a general theory regarding the economic, organizational, and behavioral dimensions of its perpetrators.Pool Your Resources for a Successful InvestigationGottschalk emphasiz

This book examines internal fraud investigations in public and private organizations. It provides a theoretical framework of white-collar crime and convenience theory, to examine a number of case studies, including some cases brought to light by the Panama Papers. Investigating white-collar crime is distinguished from other types of crime by: concealment of the crime rather than the criminal, victims who may be unaware of the crime and not directly visible to the criminal, and the resources available to suspects. It requires a unique strategy and a unique set of tools. This work provides insight into a number of internal investigation reports that are normally not publicly available. It will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, particularly with an interest in white collar crime and corruption, as well as related fields such as business, management, economics, and public administration.

This book discusses private policing conducted by fraud examiners and financial crime specialists when there is suspicion of white-collar crime. The theory of convenience applies to the suspected crime, while the maturity model applies to the conducted investigation. Private policing of economic crime by fraud examiners in internal investigations is a topic of increasing concern as there is a growing business for law firms and auditing firms to conduct inquiries and reviews when there is suspicion of misconduct, wrongdoing, and crime by white-collar offenders. The key features of this book are the application of a structural model for convenience theory and the application of a maturity model for fraud examinations. The structural model assesses convenience themes for motive, opportunity, and willingness in each case study, while the maturity model assesses the level of private policing maturity in fraud examinations. For the first time, two emerging frameworks to study white-collar offenses and private policing maturity are introduced and applied to a number of cases from Denmark, Iceland, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. This book will be essential to those studying law, business, and criminology, as well as practicing fraud examiners.

This book presents descriptions of theories about white-collar crime offenders and offenses. A case study is developed from a sample of 369 white-collar criminals generated by extracting newspaper stories and supplemented by court records. Numerous approaches to white-collar crime are organized and applied to the database. Theories are cataloged and tested against empirical data. The main aim of this book is to present a framework for a general theory of white-collar crime based on a number of sub-theories. Over the years, from research done on white-collar crime, three major characteristics have been attributed. First there is economics, where non-violent acts are committed for financial gain. Next there is organization, where offenders take advantage of professional authority and power to commit crime. Finally, there is behavior, where a number of deviant personality traits are often found.Criminal investigation is a procedure or method for reconstructing the past. Its purpose is creating an account of what has happened, how it happened, and who did what to make it happen. Private investigation cases are evaluated based on a number of theories and criteria. The success or failure of a private investigation can be measured at different stages in the process: basis for initiation of investigation, work methodology, investigation results, and investigation consequences. This book presents case studies of private investigation reports by financial crime specialists and fraud examiners.

This textbook provides an overview of the major types of fraud and corrupt activities found in private and public agencies, as well as the various methods used to prevent fraud and corruption. It explores where opportunities for fraud exist, the personal characteristics of those who engage in fraud, as well as their prevention and control. This work covers fraud in the financial sector, insurance, health care, and police organizations, as well as cybercrime. It covers the relationship between fraud, corruption, and terrorism; criminal networks; and major types of personal scams (like identity theft and phishing). Finally, it covers the prevention and control of fraud, through corporate whistle blowing, investigative reporting, forensic accounting, and educating the public. This work will be of interest to graduate-level students (as well as upper-level undergraduates) in Criminology & Criminal Justice, particularly with a focus on white collar and corporate crime, as well as related fields like business and management.

Fraud examination is a specialized methodology for resolving allegations of wrongdoing. The author states that traditional auditing techniques are insufficient for uncovering fraud in business and government, and offers an alternative approach. Fraud examination consists of specialized knowledge from four fields: accounting and auditing, investigation, law, and criminology. Each of these fields are covered in detail as they relate to fraud and white-collar crime, thereby increasing the knowledge necessary to fight the ever-increasing fraud problem. The professional interested in uncovering or documenting fraud must not only know how to discover it in the books and records. He or she must know how to recognize fraud symptoms; how to obtain evidence, take statements and write reports; to testify to findings; and to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. According to most authorities, fraud in business and government is at an all-time high. The responsibilities of the auditor and accountant to detect and deter fraud and white-collar crime are increasing, and yet they catch few frauds before devastating losses occur. In the view of Joseph T. Wells, this is because accountants and auditors wrongfully assume fraud can be detected and prevented through traditional audit techniques. Instead, the author suggests that auditors, accountants, and loss prevention professionals must find a new approach. Fraud examination is defined as the skills necessary to resolve allegations of fraud from inception to disposition; to obtain evidence, take statements and write reports; to testify to findings; and to assist in the detection and prevention of fraud. Fraud examination consists of specialized knowledge from four fields: accounting and auditing, investigation, law, and criminology. The book begins with a section on criminology, which explains the various theories of why some persons commit crimes and others do not. A special emphasis is given to the theories of the white-collar offender. The next section, law, gives the reader a broad knowledge of the courts, how they operate, and the various procedures for proving fraud matters. It also details the various criminal and civil statutes by which fraud offenders are punished. The third section, auditing, provides the reader with specific techniques to examine books and records for fraudulent activity. Net worth analysis, a methodology for proving ill-gotten gains, is explored in detail. The final section, investigation, provides techniques on how best to obtain information through interview methods. It also covers confidential sources of information, as well as writing reports in fraud-related cases. This book is specifically designed for the person who not only wants to know about fraud, but what to do with it in the event it is suspected.

In Fraud Examiners in White-Collar Crime Investigations, Petter Gottschalk examines and evaluates the investigative processes used to combat white-collar crime. He also presents a general theory regarding the economic, organizational, and behavioral dimensions of its perpetrators. Pool Your Resources for a Successful Investigation Gottschalk emphasizes the importance of collaboration across multiple disciplines including accounting, law, and forensic science in solving each case of suspected white-collar crime. He describes each case as a "puzzle" or "project" consisting of several steps and several participating individuals or organizations. Since so many people participate in an investigation, Gottschalk advises that objectively acquired and communicated information is vital to successful results. Fraud Examiners in White-Collar Crime Investigations approaches case studies from the perspectives of police science and detective work rather than auditing and legal thinking. Gottschalk asserts that "the private detective rather than the firm lawyer" is the more potentially successful fraud examiner. His approach emphasizes the importance of using strategy and practice in yielding results toward solving a case and highlights the use of interviews. He looks at the role of people as significant resources of information to help solve white-collar criminal cases and explains how a well-conducted interview can have a significant impact on the progress of an investigation. Through the analyses theories Gottschalk presents, this book gives you a useful tool for understanding characteristics of white-collar crime and for devising strategies for conducting and evaluating investigations of suspected white-collar crimes.

This book reviews a range of reports written by fraud examiners after completing internal investigations. These reports are normally kept secret and are the property of client organizations, which do not wish to disclose potential wrongdoing that can harm the reputation of the businesses. Fraud Examinations in White-Collar Crime Investigations was able to retrieve several recent reports, including foreign aid kickbacks, Russian favors to the Biathlon president, and Leon Black’s deals with Jeffrey Epstein. While not claiming that the obtained reports are representative for the outcome of the private investigation industry, the reports do provide insights into the variety of issues that fraud examiners address in their internal investigations and the quality of their work. This book identifies convenience themes and assesses investigation maturity across the reports analyzed. It considers the motives of and opportunities for white-collar criminals, as well as their willingness to engage in unlawful activity, and assesses to what extent fraud examiners are either efficient or deficient in their work. A compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, law, and politics, and all those interested in fraud examinations in relation to white-collar crime.

This book introduces 'convenience' as the key concept to explain financial crime by white-collar criminals. Based on a number of fraud examination- reports from the United States and Norway, the book documents empirical evidence of convenience among white-collar criminals. It advances our understanding of white-collar crime by drawing attention to private investigation reports by fraud examiners and financial crime specialists, who are in the growing business of fraud investigations. Reports of investigations have never before been researched in terms of white-collar criminals nor crime convenience. Reports of investigations by auditing and law firms represent a valuable empirical basis – in addition to court documents and other sources of information about financial crime. A methodical and well-researched study, this book will be of particular interest to scholars of criminological theory and law – in addition to ethics courses in business schools.

Financial fraud in the United States costs nearly $400 billion annually. The executives responsible for this corporate duplicity usually earn excellent salaries. So why do they become criminals? Harvard Business School professor Eugene Soltes shares his findings after years of extensive research. His numerous case histories make for fascinating reading. He speaks almost exclusively about men so don't look for gender-neutral pronouns. As Soltes explains, "Women are conspicuously absent from the ranks of prominent white-collar criminals." getAbstract recommends his compelling study to business students and professors, executives, business pundits, financial law enforcement officials and anyone who handles the money.