Resolution #3: More Courses in More Cities

#3: MORE COURSES IN MORE CITIES

My favorite part about being on the tennis team in high school was traveling to play schools in different cities. It wasn’t just about playing a match on a different court; it was also about the long and bumpy bus ride, the crowded hotel rooms and the new relationships formed over a shared love of the game. Fraud fighters share a similar “love of the game.” It isn’t only about seeing someone go to jail or hearing a judgment in your favor; it’s about the journey to justice, the evidence uncovered and the victory of exposing a fraud or stopping it in its tracks.

In 2014, fraud fighters will have the opportunity to learn new skills and expand their existing skillset, connect with peers and discover the latest anti-fraud tools during more events in more cities. With increasing challenges ahead this year and additional members in more cities, there are even greater opportunities for us to help you perfect your game.

Here are some of the new courses we will host and new places we will go in 2014:

U.S./Canada

25^th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference
San Antonio; June 15-20

Asia-Pacific Region

Bribery and Corruption
Hong Kong; January 20-21
Jakarta; August 25-26

Conducting Internal Investigations
Auckland; February 13-14

Professional Interviewing Skills
Sydney; February 17-18

Using Data Analytics to Detect Fraud
Singapore; April 24-25

Fraud Risk Management
Kuala Lumpur; August 20-21

Europe

2014 ACFE European Fraud Conference
Amsterdam; March 23-25

Financial Statement Fraud
London; August 18-19

We look forward to seeing you more in 2014! You can find a full list of upcoming seminars at ACFE.com.

ACFE Wraps Up Seminars in Asia-Pacific Region

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody, CFE
ACFE Social Media Specialist

Donald Cressey’s Fraud Triangle is not a concept that only applies to one gender, culture or country. Whether you are investigating fraud in Bangkok or Belfast, pressure, opportunity and rationalization are three universal factors that know no regional boundaries. Just as these motives are universal, so are the training and skills needed to fight them.

In April the ACFE was proud to host seminars in Shanghai, Jakarta and Melbourne in an effort to offer more anti-fraud training and education in the Asia-Pacific region. With a diverse group of anti-fraud professionals in attendance at each course, the enthusiasm and need for education regarding internal fraud and investigations, as well as fraud risk management, were apparent.

“The fraud schemes themselves are universal – there seem to be very few differences in the schemes from one part of the world to another,” ACFE Faculty Member Gerry Zack, CFE, CPA, CIA and President of Zack, P.C. said. “When I was asked to teach these courses, I expected to really enjoy meeting anti-fraud professionals from all over the world and hearing their stories. And I was not disappointed.”

Zack traveled first to Shanghai, China, April 15-16 to teach the two-day Auditing for Internal Fraud. The fraud fighters assembled there explored the challenges auditors face when identifying fraud and learned about the common schemes, detection techniques and methods of preventing occupational fraud. He then taught Conducting Internal Investigations in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 18-19 and wrapped up in Melbourne, Australia, April 22-23 with Fraud Risk Management.

Lim Kurniawan, CFE, is the Managing Director at Awesome Consulting in Jakarta. He knew of Zack before attending the Conducting Internal Investigations course because he bought the book, Fair Value Accounting Fraud, written by Zack. In the book, Zack highlights the risks of the International Financial Reporting Standard, a standard that is adopted as a local accounting principle in Indonesia. Kurniawan and Zack not only share the challenges of implementing global standards, but they also experience the same successes and trials during the interviewing process.

Kurniawan plans to use the lessons from a simulation Zack used in the course to help clients interview witnesses. “The skills taught in this course were practical, which I believe to be very applicable,” Kurniawan said. “Gerry offered specific examples from his own life, not fictitious ones. It was such an honor for Indonesia to be visited by an amazing international speaker. I hope in the future such a richly rewarding course could be attended by more people, thus Indonesia could be more blessed in this way.” 

Read more about the seminars in the ACFE's latest Global Spotlight.

Upcoming ACFE Courses in Vancouver, Shanghai, Jakarta and Melbourne

AUTHOR’S POST

Mandy Moody, CFE
ACFE Social Media Specialist

Every country has its Enron. Or, I guess I should say its Olympus, its HSBC, its Caterpillar. The list could go on and on. Financial schemes morph, and the numbers get manipulated this way and that, but a few things remain the same. A fraud is perpetrated. The whole truth isn’t told. And, in the end, money, along with integrity, is lost.

Luckily, just as fraud knows no boundaries or borders, neither do fraud prevention and detection. For every Bernie Madoff, there are a hundred anti-fraud professionals dedicated to stopping fraud before it happens, investigating it to recover losses or helping to serve justice and restore balance. With the task of righting the financial and white-collar wrongs of the world, fraud fighters need a variety of skills. From interviewing to risk management, the tools of a fraud examiner are varied and unique.

With the goal of serving those who fight fraud worldwide, we are excited to announce a few new 2013 locations for some of our most popular courses. Below is a list of where you can find ACFE seminars around the world in the coming months:

• Professional Interviewing Skills
  Vancouver, B.C., Canada
  April 8-9
• Auditing for Internal Fraud
  Shanghai, China
  April 15-16
• Conducting Internal Investigations
  Jakarta, Indonesia
  April 18-19
• Fraud Risk Management
  Melbourne, Australia
  April 22-23