Certified Public Accountants with their diverse experiences in government and business auditing are well-suited to the performance of forensic accounting.  Forensic accounting, as the term developed in recent years, is loosely styled in two main sub-categories: 

1. Fraud Review:  Accounting review and examination as a consulting engagement to assist a client in preparing for a financial audit or similar management function.
   
2. Forensic Examination:  Deeply invasive accounting examination relative to a litigated or criminal manner and suitable for court use.

Often, forensic procedures are applied with no anticipation of legal action or claim.  It is not uncommon for a business, organization, or governmental entity to recognize that it could benefit from a fraud review to aid management in making various decisions regarding staffing, internal controls, or even just to prepare for an upcoming audit or examination from an external regulator or examiner.  Auditors with specific forensic experience are well suited for this type of consultation work. 

When engaged for this type of work, we will meet with you to get the necessary guidance on where to focus our procedures, advise on the type and nature of those procedures, and explain the manner in which our results will be reported.  Often these procedures are couched as an "Agreed Upon Procedures" in order that the expectation gap is minimized to the fullest extent.  It is important to remember that this type of engagement is intended to advise you on fraud risks and to make recommendations for improvement and enhancements to your internal controls.  The purpose is not, generally, to ferret out frauds, thefts, and embezzlement, though they may be revealed nonetheless. 

Our staff are aware of the sensitivities these type of procedures along with how your personnel and management team are likely to react to them.  We are trained and experienced in putting your staff "at ease" to foster as full of an exchange of information as possible while not be accusatory in any way; that is certainly not the purpose of this type of engagement.

The time and cost of a fraud review can vary dramatically, but fortunately you are the "driver" of those factors.  We often perform cursory reviews with little more than a day of planning, a day of interviews and procedures, followed by a day or less of reporting functions.  It is not uncommon for more in depth procedures to last more than a month with sweeping changes and recommendations being the result.  Again, as the business owner or management leader, you can direct this work initiative.

We can meet with you to help you understand more fully these procedures, how they may help you and your organization, and what to expect from them.  We will give you a written report, if desired, to give you an additional management tool to help carry out strategies for growth and efficiency.