Service
Forensic Audit
Investigations into suspected fraud, misappropriation and control failure, conducted so that the findings hold up in whatever forum they eventually reach.
A forensic engagement is not an audit with more scepticism. It is a different exercise with a different objective: to establish what happened, quantify it, and produce evidence that will survive challenge in a disciplinary hearing, an insurance claim, or a court.
That objective changes how the work is done from the first hour. Evidence has to be secured before anyone is alerted. Chain of custody has to be maintained. Interviews have to be conducted in an order that does not tip off the subject. Getting the sequence wrong can compromise an otherwise sound case.
What the engagement covers
- Fraud and misappropriation investigations, from a specific allegation or a general concern
- Quantification of loss, traced through the accounting records to source documents
- Internal control reviews identifying how the failure was possible and what would prevent recurrence
- Analysis of transaction data to identify anomalies, duplicates, ghost suppliers and unusual patterns
- Structured interviews conducted in a defensible sequence
- Asset tracing within the limits of what is lawfully accessible
- Written reports prepared to evidentiary standard, with findings distinguished from opinion
- Support through disciplinary proceedings, insurance claims or referral to authorities
How we approach it
Scope the allegation precisely
An open-ended investigation is expensive and rarely conclusive. We define what is alleged, what would prove or disprove it, and what the outcome is intended to support — dismissal, recovery, a claim, or a referral.
Secure the evidence first
Records, systems access and documents are preserved before anyone is approached. Evidence that disappears in the first 48 hours is generally not recoverable.
Follow the transactions to source
Ledger analysis identifies where to look; source documents establish what happened. A finding that rests only on an accounting entry is a finding that will be challenged successfully.
Report so it survives challenge
The report states what the evidence shows, separates fact from inference, records the limitations of the work, and is written to be read by someone hostile to its conclusions.
How we work
- Investigations conducted to the professional and ethical standards that ICAZ membership carries
- Findings separated from opinion, with the basis for each stated
- Scope limitations recorded explicitly rather than left implicit
- Evidence handling designed so that admissibility is not compromised by our process
- Coordination with your legal advisers where proceedings are contemplated
Common questions
No — that is the right time. The most common way an investigation is compromised is an internal enquiry that alerts the subject before evidence is secured. Call before you start asking questions, not after.
It may, but that is not what it is designed to do. Auditors consider fraud risk and assurance is reasonable rather than absolute. A concealed misappropriation usually requires an engagement scoped specifically to look for it.
That is what it is written for. We prepare findings to evidentiary standard and can support the process, though how the report is used is a matter to take with your legal advisers.
Need help with forensic audit?
Tell us where you currently stand. We will come back with a scope, a fee basis and an honest view of whether we are the right firm for it.