Forensic Accounting Insights & Resources
Explore the world of forensic accounting through clear, timely, and easy-to-understand articles. From uncovering financial fraud to explaining complex investigations, this site provides resources designed to inform and build trust in the field of forensic accounting.
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Forensic Accounting Articles
How Businesses Can Prevent ACH Fraud Before It Starts
December 18, 2025
When an employee pulls off fraudulent ACH payments, it shakes a business to its core. You trust someone with your financial engine, and suddenly that trust is weaponized. But here’s the part most business owners overlook: ACH fraud usually isn’t about a criminal mastermind. It’s about weak systems that make fraud easy. If one person
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When Fraud Shows Up at Home: What Nonprofits Can Learn From the Minneapolis Chamber Case
December 16, 2025
Every nonprofit loves to say, “We trust our people.”And that’s great. Trust matters. Mission matters. Community impact matters. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: none of that stops fraud.In fact, it often creates the perfect conditions for it. Take the recent Minneapolis case. A well-known chamber CEO pleaded guilty after diverting organizational funds and having a
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When Your CFO Has “Too Much Power”: How Smart Companies Stay Safe Without Killing Trust
December 11, 2025
If you’ve ever handed over the financial keys of your business and thought, “I hope they’re doing the right thing,” you’re not alone. Most owners want to trust their CFO or top finance person. And honestly, trust is healthy… until it turns into blind trust. That’s exactly how companies end up on the wrong side
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Holiday Shopping Season Is Open. So Are The Doors For A New Wave Of Payment Fraud
December 9, 2025
Every year businesses gear up for the holiday rush. More sales. More transactions. More moving parts. And unfortunately, more opportunities for fraudsters to slip through the cracks. Card networks are sounding the alarm on a fresh batch of schemes hitting retailers during the busiest shopping season of the year. If you run a business, this
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Stuffing or Skimming? Holiday Overtime Fraud You Can Spot Early
November 27, 2025
Every year, right when the cranberry sauce hits the table, something else quietly spikes inside a lot of businesses: overtime. Some of it is completely legitimate. Holiday rush. Staff taking vacation. Year-end work piling up. All normal. But hiding inside that pile of perfectly reasonable extra hours?A few creative entries that deserve a closer look.
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Insider Fraud: The Case Most Businesses Never Think They’ll Face
November 25, 2025
Every fraud case has a villain. Sometimes they’re outside the building. But the cases that drain businesses the fastest usually come from someone already inside the walls. Someone trusted. Someone who knows exactly where your blind spots are. That’s what makes the Qualcomm case so fascinating. A high-ranking executive quietly built a side company, hid
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When you invest in another company, you’re handing over control: so you must know who’s steering the ship
November 20, 2025
When you invest in another company, you’re handing over control: so you must know who’s steering the ship The headline out of Dallas recently reads like something straight out of a financial crime thriller: Brad Heppner, founder of Beneficient Group, was arrested for allegedly looting more than $150 million from a firm he controlled through
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Understanding Check Washing, and Why Your Firm Can’t Afford to Ignore It 📋
November 18, 2025
Let’s get straight to it: yes, check washing is very real. It isn’t some rare scam that happens to someone else. It’s happening now, and if your law‐firm bookkeeping and forensic accounting operation isn’t set up to guard against it, you’re risking more than money—you’re risking your client’s trust. What is check washing? In simple
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Phantom Payments: The Fraud You Don’t See Coming
November 6, 2025
🕵️ Phantom Payments: The Fraud You Don’t See Coming Every detective knows the toughest cases aren’t the ones that leave a trail. They’re the ones that look legitimate until the money’s gone. That’s exactly how phantom payment fraud works. It happens when scammers create the illusion of a payment by showing pending deposits, fake confirmations,
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The Case of the Disappearing Dollars
November 4, 2025
🕵️♀️ The Case of the Disappearing Dollars: Why Every Business Needs to Go on Fraud Patrol Something suspicious is happening in the business world…and it’s not just in Iowa.According to a recent KCRG report, companies across the state are losing more money to fraud than ever before.The culprits? Evolving scams, slicker technology, and a false
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“I follow the money, interpret the evidence, and explain it in plain language. That’s how fraud gets found and trust gets rebuilt.”
who is brandy derrick?
Practical articles and financial investigations explained by Brandy Derrick.
Brandy Derrick has over six years of experience in financial investigations, with a proven track record of supporting more than 30 investigations through detailed financial analysis. She has authored 50+ articles and case notes, making complex accounting concepts easy to understand for professionals and the public alike.
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