1. Professional Skepticism
One of the first things with which IT auditors need to get comfortable is the realistic view of the scope of fraud. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the total loss from fraud in any one year in the US is between 5 and 7 percent of gross revenues, with the latest statistic estimating total losses in the US economy at almost US $1 billion.1 One element of fraud that seems to occur frequently is the shock from the victim’s stakeholders that it happened to their entity. These facts are raision d’être for an antifraud program and/or fraud audit for any entity. So, the conclusion is twofold: Fraud has a vast scope, and it can happen anywhere. Therefore, it is important to be consistent with professional skepticism.