The Fraud Examiner's Latest Threats, Tools and Opportunities

GUEST BLOGGER

Kelly Todd, CFE
Managing member and member in charge of forensic investigations at Forensic Strategic Solutions

A quick glance at the barrage of headline news related to cyberattacks, the perpetual explosion of electronically stored information and the ease with which data can be moved and shared makes one thing obvious: a new frontier has emerged for businesses. In this dynamic electronic age, the scope of risk for businesses is growing — in size and complexity — at such a rate that traditional risk management measures are simply not enough. While the “new frontier” has the potential to leave unsuspecting businesses exposed to a host of new risks, it is also creating a host of opportunities for those of us fighting fraud.  

Threat: The Trusted Employee
Frauds committed through the use of a computer and its network is one of the fastest growing threats for businesses. According to Ernst & Young’s 2016 Global Forensic Data Analytics Survey, nine out of nine industries rate the threat of a cyberbreach as a their top risk. While the latest news focuses on hackers and cybercriminals, there is an equally dangerous, but perhaps less obvious, threat to corporate assets. While trusted employees are moving, sharing and exposing corporate data just to do their jobs, the malicious employee or contractor with authorized access may be deliberately taking confidential information for personal gain or other nefarious reasons. Whether internal or external, the threat posed by these cybercriminals is real. Threats include the disruption of operations, the wrongful transfer of funds and the theft of intellectual property, confidential information or other critical assets.

Tools to Respond: Data Analytics
The dynamic nature of technology threats requires a proactive response. While external auditors and C-suite executives have long been reluctant to embrace advanced data analytics as a proactive tool — or even as a reactive tool — to ferret out fraud, the tide seems to be turning with the increased threat that cybercrime poses.

Advanced data analytics provide the ability to collect and analyze data, both structured (think transactional data) and unstructured (email, voicemail, internet logs, text messages, social media, blogs or free text fields in a database), to prevent, detect, monitor and investigate potentially improper transactions, events or patterns of behavior related to misconduct, fraud or noncompliance issues. 

As fraud examiners, we know a picture says a thousand words — and nothing tells a story better than data. The use of data visualization tools is on the rise for business intelligence, as well as detecting patterns and relationships indicative of fraud. With the explosion of electronic data, data visualization allows for communicating key aspects of complex and voluminous data in a more intuitive way. Effective visualization — which is both an art and a science — combined with advanced data analytics helps users identify patterns and relationships. 

Opportunities
With the increased acceptance of advanced data analytics — not to mention emerging technologies, such as blockchain (a topic that goes well beyond the scope of this blog) — dramatic opportunities abound for fraud examiners.

Valuable skills for the new frontier include:

• The technical skills to understand the information systems and how to collect relevant and reliable data.
• An expertise in data analytics to relate data from disparate systems, design queries, recognize patterns, interpret and report on results.
• Institutional knowledge or investigative skills to understand the relevant risks and controls, and to collaborate in the interpretation of results in the context of the associated risks.

As risks continue to grow in the industry, staying up-to-date with the latest tools and resources will be critical. As we look to spread knowledge during International Fraud Awareness Week, it’s also crucial that as fraud professionals we commit ourselves to continuing our education. The biggest fraud risks are the ones we are not yet aware of, but with the right tools and expertise we can be better prepared to respond.

How Fraud Examiners Can Use and How Fraudsters Can Abuse Artificial Intelligence

SPEAKER INTERVIEW

Amber Mac, TV/Radio Host, Internet of Things Expert at AmberMac Media, and keynote speaker at the upcoming 2017 ACFE Fraud Conference Canada in Toronto, October 29-November 1

What do you think is the No. 1 security risk that advancing technology poses?

I think the Internet of Things (IoT) attack surface is the biggest technology threat today. As Gartner points out, there will be 20 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020. However, unlike smartphones and computers, we're seeing thousands of newly released IoT gadgets every day from a myriad of suppliers. This means that security precautions are often bypassed in order to get to market more quickly. (Hear Amber discuss this even more in depth in her podcast interview at ACFE.com/podcast.)

How do you think fraud examiners could potentially use (and conversely fraudsters abuse) AI?

When we talk about artificial intelligence (AI), fraud examiners are more regularly using this technology to detect fraud (without even knowing it). For example, machine learning software (one application of AI) can now quickly and effectively determine accounting abnormalities. However, fraud attackers are also using early stage AI to commit fraud. If fact, most worrisome to me is video fraud. Many research institutions are already experimenting with algorithms that program a video to make a politician or business leader appear to say things that they did not. One can only imagine the issues with this as the technology gets into the wrong hands.

What are you most hoping attendees of the conference will take away from your presentation?

I really want attendees to leave my presentation with a much better understanding of the future of both the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. It’s critical to recognize what’s happening in the market today and where things are heading in the next five to 10 years, so fraud examiners can properly prepare for the inevitable risks.

You are on the front lines of the latest and greatest technology out there, but what is one thing you still hold on to that is manual or traditional?

Strangely enough, I still write my research notes on a piece of paper or in a notebook. For me, it’s not that I don’t recognize the power of digital tools to simplify this process, but I use this practice as a memory tactic. It’s only upon writing with pen to paper that I can better recall facts and stats.

You can read more about Amber and register for the 2017 ACFE Fraud Conference Canada at FraudConference.com/Canada. Be sure to register by September 29 to save CAD 100!