how forensic audits work
the process of a forensic audit is similar to a regular financial audit planning collecting evidence writing a report with the additional step of a potential court appearance the attorneys for both sides offer evidence that either uncovers or disproves the fraud and determines the damages suffered they present their findings to the client and the court should the case go to trial if you ve ever padded an expense report or even thought about it know that that is an example of fraud and could be uncovered easily via a forensic audit during the planning stage the forensic auditor and team will plan their investigation to achieve objectives such asthe evidence collected should be adequate to prove the fraudster s identity s in court reveal the fraud scheme s details and document the financial loss suffered and the parties affected by the fraud a logical flow of evidence will help the court in understanding the fraud and the evidence presented forensic auditors are required to take precautions to ensure that documents and other evidence collected are not damaged or altered by anyone a forensic audit requires a written report about the fraud to be presented to the client to proceed to file a legal case if they so desire at a minimum the report should includethe forensic auditor must be present during court proceedings to explain the evidence collected and how the team identified the suspect s they should simplify any complex accounting issues and explain the case in a layperson s language so that people who have no understanding of legal or accounting terms can understand the fraud clearly 