• July/August 2021 | Vol. 36 | No. 4

Featured Articles

  • State of Capture

    Thulisile “Thuli” Madonsela has probably done more than any single person in South Africa to bust the lid off widespread fraud and corruption during the term of former President Jacob Zuma. She speaks to Fraud Magazine about her experiences during that time and what more needs to be done.

    What’s the admissibility of investigators’ covert recordings in Europe?

    Sometimes fraud examiners need to record covert surveillance in their cases. But will their audio and video recordings be admissible in court? Here we examine a high-profile bribery case to test all the legal angles in deciding the usability of evidence in Europe and, by extension, the rest of the world.

    Madoff's Legacy

    Bernie Madoff is gone, but the effects of his crimes live on. Fraud examiners endeavor to learn from all frauds, including the world’s largest-ever Ponzi scheme. What lessons have we learned? How has the regulatory environment improved? How have Madoff’s schemes affected the anti-fraud profession?

    Calibrate your professional skepticism

    An auditor applied the correct level of skepticism and uncovered the largest government misappropriation, $6.9 million, in Washington state’s history. Here’s how the team investigated the crime, and how you can modulate your skepticism threshold to better spot red flags and evidence that otherwise might have remained hidden.

    New mission, same focus

    Preet Bharara speaks to Fraud Magazine about lessons learned, the outlook for new insider trading rules under the Biden administration, the challenges of overseeing COVID-relief funds, the difficulties of investigating Ponzi schemes and much more.

    Are well-known companies more prone to financial statement fraud?

    It’s logical to think that companies on the verge of bankruptcy or suffering severe financial stress might be tempted to fudge their financial statements. Yet a recent university study says that large prestigious public firms are even more prone to cooking the books. We look at why this might be the case and the need to delve into the psychology of individual perpetrators.

Columns & Departments