Last updated on April 2nd, 2024 at 06:56 am
Financial statement fraud is a well-known offence wherein certain staff members, management, etc. use false information to raise the bar or enhance the reputation of the business. Its main objective is to give potential customers a good impression of the business's track record for increasing revenue.
When compared to other types of fraud, financial statement fraud cases are relatively rare because they can harm the company's development and cause sizable losses. By regularly conducting audits, such frauds are easily debunked.
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Types of Financial Statement Frauds
Committing fraud in the business sector is not a new thing. It comes in various kinds of forms, which include bribery, exploitation, etc.
Most financial statement frauds are committed after knowing its consequences. While most of them are intentional, there are a few that are not.
1. Inflated revenue
Fraud can be committed by a business if they declare funds as received before providing the requested goods or services. This can be achieved by recording anticipated future sales or sales that are unclear in advance. By inflating its sales, the corporation paints a false picture of its financial situation, which could drive up the price of its stock.
2. Fabricated statement receipts
By creating fabricated statement receipts of goods that are not sold or by making false invoices of sales or altering the actual invoices given to the customer, statement receipts can be fabricated.
3. Accounting period difference
For a particular accounting period, they generate different revenue, where understated revenue is displayed, and another one is generated that serves as a reserve, which is claimed up later. The display of invoices for upcoming sales for which payment is not reserved is another method of committing this kind of fraud.
4. Inflated assets
Inflated assets occur when a company increases the net worth of its assets, resulting in increased net income and retained revenue. They may neglect to apply valuation reserves or depreciation schedules, causing an increase in the share price of the shareholders.
5. Covering up responsibilities
It is a form of fraud where some businesses hide their obligations in order to boost shareholder equity. The situations that are most frequently observed are those in which loans, warranties, etc. are not concealed and the health benefits offered to the employees are not reported.
6. Lack of disclosure
In the majority of businesses, proper or adequate information is not disclosed, which can occasionally be deceptive. In this kind of financial statement fraud, the events or other items that are most notable are left out of the financial statements. It is significant because any accounting changes have a significant impact on the financial statements.
7. Providing false information on expenses
The failure to disclose accurate information about a company's financial expenses is another instance of financial statement fraud. These components are considered the important ones; hence, when the expenses are not described honestly, the revenue of the company is overstated, creating a false image of the company.
8. Exploiting information
One of the most important aspects of financial fraud is its exploitation. The majority of the time, fictitious expenses are reported for personal or individual gain. Such exaggeration of revenue results in a false image of the company’s financial health.
Warning Signs
During an investigation of the financial statement, there are certain red flags that should be considered or looked into. Those warning signs are divided into four categories
- Financial signs
This category of warning signs includes circumstances where there is an increase in revenue but no indication of an equal increase in business, as well as scenarios where one company is making a lot of money while others are struggling to stay afloat. The alteration of documents and an increase in business towards the end of the year also indicate the same warning signs. Any discrepancy in the financial sector falls under this category of warning signs.
- Behavioural signs
Technical evidence suggests that most businesses engage in at least one behavioural fraud. An environment where committing fraud might be tempting is created by circumstances where a particular employee adopts a luxurious lifestyle that exceeds the limits of his paycheck, the abrupt replacement of the auditor later results in the loss of paperwork, and employees who lack experience.
- Organisational signs
Fraud is more likely to occur in a setting where the system and employees are ineffective. Fraudsters use the system to commit additional fraud when employees are constantly changing and the system is insufficient. These fraud techniques frequently take place when a company has unreliable employees or when a single person makes all of the company's decisions.
- Business signs
Potential fraud can be indicated by external variables. One of the circumstances under which business frauds take place is an increase in revenue at specific times when expenses are low.
Conclusion
Financial statement frauds are just as common in a world where committing fraud in most industries is a common occurrence. Financial statement fraud and its victims are growing every day. In general, they are taking advantage of the average person by undermining their faith in businesses. Financial statement fraud must be avoided as it destroys the trust of the common man. In order to prevent such frauds, the warning signs must be carefully read and understood, allowing for the detection of frauds and their subsequent punishment.
Understand more about such frauds committed in the financial statement section by enrolling in the Professional Certificate in Fintech course and have explicit knowledge about finance by taking finance technology classes. Look into the official website of Imarticus Learning to learn more.
