A Case Study In this article, the author uses a case study to explore how forensic accountants used analytics to identify discrepancies in financial records and support financial investigations. Introduction While we traditionally think of forensic accounting as the specialized area of accounting that focuses primarily on the investigation of financial crimes, forensic accountants are also well equipped to ...

Conversations with ChatGPT In this article, the author discusses the conversation she had with ChatGPT regarding Bitcoin and Ponzi schemes. This question has been around nearly as long as Bitcoin itself (without the Charles Ponzi qualifier). How could I have a conversation with Charles Ponzi? Perhaps ChatGPT has ingested enough material about the historical figure to do it for me. I initiated a new conversa ...

(With the Help of ChatGPT) In this article, the author provides three versions of a data retention policy that appears compliant with GDPR or NIST. After taking NACVA’s cybersecurity course, a student reached out to me asking for a Data Retention Policy template that would be compliant with the statutes and frameworks discussed in the course, such as the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST ...

Utilizing Data Analytics to Investigate Ponzi Schemes This article examines how data analytics combined with other forensic accounting tools can help investigators uncover how investors in both traditional and newer types of Ponzi schemes were victimized, and how data can be compiled to locate stolen assets and create an analytical report that aids regulators and in legal proceedings focused on recovering f ...

Effective Use of AI in Complex Investigations Investigators need better ways to sift through vast quantities of data to find the information at the heart of the matter. This article examines a more efficient approach to complex investigations with Generative AI. The information in this article is intended to assist in determining the effectiveness of using GenAI in fraud and other complex investigations. In ...

The Role of the Expert in 21st Century Dispute Resolution Almost five years ago, the author penned an article published in NACVA’s QuickRead April 14, 2022. In that article, he described what was his perspective as a “recovering judge” of the role of the “expert” in the 21st century profession of dispute resolution. In this article, the author revisits, and in some cases revises, the observations and predic ...

From $600 to Over $1 Billion The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data protection regulations apply to the smallest sole practitioner firm among us to the largest and each must take steps to implement a cybersecurity plan, to follow it, and to respond when an incident occurs. The failure to provide protection can result in fines. In this article, the author describes why Amazon and Goo ...

Part II of II In the previous article, we posed a series of questions to consider when purchasing cyber insurance. In Part II, the authors identify not only how to answer some of the questions posed initially, but also, what value those answers bring. Moreover, the authors identify some of the common gaps and how to address them. Introduction In the previous article, we posed a series of questions to consid ...

Part I of II When companies suffer a cyber incident, they often look to their insurance policy for coverage to help mitigate financial exposure. Additional external resources also help the insured get back to normal operations. Part I of this series poses several questions to assist insureds or policyholders in thinking through the common issues. Part II will present some strategies to help organizations fu ...

A Forensic Investigation Opens IRS-Floodgate! In this article, the author critiques the IRS Participant Guide for Marijuana Companies. This 200-page guide provides general instructions to the service on the valuation of cannabis farms. The author argues that the compliance guide is completely inaccurate concerning the audit of cannabis cultivation. The author proposes that forensic and valuation professiona ...

From a Forensic Accountant’s Viewpoint Forensic accountants are frequently retained to evaluate economic damages arising from a multitude of circumstances. These engagements require a set of specialized knowledge unique to the facts of the case. In many cases, a forensic accountant will be retained to evaluate lost income arising from a business interruption loss. This article compares a forensic accountant ...

A Meandering in the Mind(s) of ChatGPT (Part III of III) In the first two articles of this three part series, the author introduced a brief history of her own word processing software use and preferences, then used several models within an AI tool, ChatGPT, to generate an article with a single prompt. There are some issues with prompts. For instance, the author found that the tools sometimes interpreted the ...

A Meandering in the Mind(s) of ChatGPT (Part II of III) This is the second article of a three-part series. In the first article, the author introduced a brief history of her own word processing software use and preferences then used several models within an AI Tool, ChatGPT, to generate an article with a single prompt, “The article must be between 4750 and 5250 words, not including subtitles. The article mu ...

A Meandering in the Mind(s) of ChatGPT (Part I of III) This series chronicles the use of an AI generation tool to generate content. Most of the uses the author has heard of from colleagues rely on an AI tool to generate content in response to various questions. Through the series the author shares iterations of an article that relied on AI and provides examples to show how a story can change using AI. Some ...

A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Claims Outcomes (Part II of II) In this second of a two-part article, the authors discuss areas where outside expertise may be needed and policy exclusions. Read Part I here. Introduction: Navigating Claims Challenges and How Experts Can Help Throughout the fidelity claims handling process, issues or challenges may arise for which parties involved must reconcile. Here are ...

A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Claims Outcomes (Part I of II) Fidelity/crime/financial institution bonds, in a general sense, cover an insured from the willful theft of property, money, and securities by one of their employees or an outside third-party carried out through a variety of means. Such fraud can impact myriad industries. In this two-part article, the authors provide fundamental aspects of a ...

How AI is Transforming the Industry Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a paradigm shift in the realm of computational capabilities, transcending traditional boundaries of machine functionality to emulate human-like intelligence. AI has made remarkable advances in recent years due to the availability of massive amounts of data, powerful computing resources, and innovations in methods and architectures. ...

And How the IRS Unravels Contract Law in its Newest Cryptocurrency Proposals This article details the issues with the proposal put forth by the IRS related to cryptocurrency transaction reporting and identifies the actionable bits of information that may be useful to practitioners. This article also covers proposed rules expanded definition of a broker and whom the new regulation will cover along with the w ...

Part IV in a Series Addressing Advances in Forensic Accounting and Financial Forensics The increasing amount of data is daunting. Managing and making sense of the vast amount of information is paramount to professionals. In this article, the author shares how he has managed those first impressions and found value using AI and software to understand the information deluge. In the 1990s, the Rubik’s cube craz ...

Part III in a Series Addressing Advances in Forensic Accounting and Financial Forensics Those working to manage valuations and investigate fraud are seeing the impact of two trends that emerged in 2023: an increasingly tight labor market and the advancement and adoption of new technologies. The reality is as we enter 2024 and the workforce continues to shrink, the implications of these new technology innova ...