An audit is the examination of the financial records of a company for verification. However, an investigation is the inquiry of the financial activities of a company for a special purpose. In contrast to auditing, investigation is a thorough and detailed examination of the books of accounts to discover the truth. Auditing is a general examination while investigation is a critical one. The evidence obtained from the audit process is persuasive. On the other hand, the evidence obtained from the investigation process is conclusive in nature.
Forensic Audit, a.k.a. Investigative Audit involves examining accounts and using accounting procedures to discover financial irregularities and follow the movement of funds and assets in and out of organisations. In order to maintain a company’s reputation and operation, any allegations or suspicions of fraud must be dealt with swiftly and effectively.
A forensic audit can be carried out for multiple reasons.
Corruption means dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. It can also mean the process by which something is changed from its original state to one regarded as erroneous or debased. A few things that an auditor will look out for during a forensic audit are:
This is the most common form of fraud. Asset misappropriation includes misappropriating cash, and inventories, creating fake invoices, payments made to fake vendors, etc. Performing a thorough check at all material points and identification of loopholes helps prevent such situations.
Corrupting the company’s financial statements to show a better position and/or results than what they actually are is known as financial statement fraud. This is done for multiple reasons such as showing better positions to obtain a bank loan or approval from regulatory authorities. This can be achieved by falsely tuning the liquidity, reserves balance, etc.