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Essay on Fraudulent Financial Reporting Schemes

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Fraudulent Financial Reporting Schemes

Abstract
Routine examinations, audits, or internal control procedures, do not reveal most accounting fraud. Only 20% is revealed by way of auditing, however whistle blowing accounts for most revealed accounting fraud. Financial statement fraud will usually occur in such schemes as: fictitious revenues, timing differences, concealed liabilities & expense, improper asset valuation, or asset/revenue overstatements (just to name a few), (Frempong, 2012). It is essential one be educated and thoroughly understand the different types of financial statement fraud schemes and the accompanying accounting transactions in order to better identify fraud.

Fraud Schemes and Examples
Fictitious Revenue …show more content…

This is achieved by inflating the company’s assets, net earnings, and/or equity. To understate liabilities the company would not record accrued liabilities or accounts payable, service or warranty liabilities, loans (or keep liabilities completely off of the company books), contingent liabilities, and record unearned revenues as earned revenue.
Improper Asset Valuation
The more assets a creditor, lender, or investor can view on a company’s books the more appealing the companies are to the creditor’s, lender’s, or investors. Assets are used to earn the company money in order to pay or pay off its debt. This can cause improper asset valuation of such accounts as: accounts receivable, fixed assets, and or inventory. Considering the complexity of inventory records, management finds inventory as an attractive place to commit financial statement fraud. Inventory is sometimes comprised of larger number items and distributed from several locations making it easier for the improper creation of estimates for slow moving or dated goods. Additionally, management will create non-existing inventory, manipulate the physical count, fail to record the actual purchase, and improperly capitalize inventory, (Colby, n.d).
Asset and/or Revenue Overstatement
Last but definitely and by far not the least of some of the fraudulent

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