So whilst it is acknowledged that the convergence of all factors within the fraud triangle is what ultimately results in frauds, from a crime prevention and detection perspective, the opportunity component of fraud allows direct consideration of how the likelihood of fraudulent activity can be diminished. It is argued here, as elsewhere, an important mechanism of opportunity reduction is through the establishment of adequate controls (McNeal & Michelman 2006; Michel 2008).
A recent report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (hereafter referred to as “ACFE”) (2008) provides some relevant and important findings in respect to how fraud is typically uncovered, see Table 2. Interestingly, in light of the focus of this paper, whilst formal mechanisms such as internal/external audits and internal controls feature, the role of informal mechanisms (such as tips and the discovery of fraud simply by accident) are the most frequent precursor to fraud detection.