E100: Accounting Ethics: Interviewing Skills and Techniques for Fraud Auditors and Forensic Accounting Investigators (Including a Live Mock Interviewing Session)
Programme Objective
Interviewing skills and techniques is one the most important tools in the hands of a Fraud auditor or Forensic Accounting investigator. Interviews conducted properly can produce more information in more ways than any other type of auditing efforts. But this evidence gathering method requires special skills to achieve success and avoid common pitfalls.
The facilitator who is in the field for more than 15 years has interviewed more than 100 subjects and has trained various law enforcement agencies’, investigators and auditors.
This programme will demonstrate participants about how to overcome common weaknesses which have been observed by the facilitator during various training sessions.
This case oriented and deliberation training session will allow the participants to experience a live mock session where two participants will be required to demonstrate interviewing a suspect before being finally interviewed by the facilitator to observe the mistakes normally auditors commit while interviewing auditee or the subject.
Programme Outline
4 sessions will be covered during two-day workshop:
Session 1
- Introductions to forensic accounting
- Tools and techniques commonly used by an IFA
- Skills to sort truth from fiction
- When fraud based interviews are good idea
- What is cross examination and how it is different from an interview
- Interview vs interrogation
Session 2
- Art of conducting forensic interviewing
- Importance of planning and setting the objective
- Phases of interviews
- Information gathering interview vs admission seeking interview
- Some golden rules to avoid pitfalls during an interview
Session 3
- Forms of communication and their importance during an interview
- The art of listening
- Statements to avoid contamination
- How to deal with uncooperative and hostile subjects
- Pregnant pause technique
- Verbal indicators/ Red flags
- Non–verbal communications
- Ending an interview
Session 4
- Case study
- Mock session with an actor with participants
- Analysis and concluding remarks
- Legal aspects associated with an interview and its recording
Intended For
An Intermediate to Advanced level seminar intended for Internal Auditors, Statutory Auditors, Accountants and those involved in fraud detection and investigation. Those who seek to understand the role of a forensic accountant / auditor are welcome to attend.
Competency Mapping
Category 2
Training Methodology
Lecture style, with Case Studies
Programme Facilitator(s)
Prabhat Kumar
FCA, DIFA (Canada), CFE
Prabhat is an independent consultant with more than 18 years of experience in audit, accounting and financial expertise. For the past 6 years, he has focused his practice in financial information analysis and Forensic Accounting for the purpose of detection of fraud and to provide litigation support services. He has been instrumental in instituting a sound and effective internal financial control system for various entities including multinationals which has turned their financial administration from a fraud-prone system to one which meets desired standards of accountability and credibility. He has conducted numerous investigations where senior management staffs were at the centre of the allegation and has appeared in the courts as an expert witness.
Prabhat has investigated KLSE and Singapore listed companies other than providing litigation support services to eminent law firms. His extensive experience of investigation goes with the clients in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Brunei and India. Prabhat has been involved in the training of law enforcement officers for various Government agencies in Malaysia and India.
He is the author of “The Accountant as an Expert Witness: A basic guide to Forensic Accounting”- CCH (Singapore) a Walter Kluwer business publication other than two more books as co-author which is edited by the founder and Chairman of Association of Certified Fraud Examiner (USA) Mr. Joseph T Wells titled “Internet Fraud Casebook” and “Financial Statement Fraud Casebook” by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. which have been published in USA.
Prabhat has also been invited to present his paper "The Challenges of Being an Expert Witness" at notable platforms such as the ACFE Asia Pacific Fraud Conference.