Organizations often feel that they can execute a fraud investigation themselves. Sometimes, internal audit, legal or compliance is asked to be part of or execute a fraud evaluation for fraud investigation. However, without the proper protocols and departmental procedures in place to appropriately execute this type of project, there can be many missteps which could put the organization at risk. In my many years working in internal audit I’ve often noted that in some cases management may defer to internal audit to investigate an issue. In other cases, they may manage the investigation without the knowledge or involvement of internal audit. There can be many reasons for each approach but if internal audit is to be involved it is important that they establish the proper procedures within their department to be able to adequately investigation or evaluate an issue.

This course provides a methodology and thoughts any organization when deciding to internally execute a fraud investigation. It is important to note that this narrative may not be all inclusive for your organization. It is meant to provide you with thought points and actions when developing your organization’s fraud fighting process. Some of the phases as presented may be performed in a different order than presented depending on how your organization manages the engagement.