Organizations Can Easily be Taken Advantage of by the Fraud Triangle

1. The three aspects of fraud - Perceived pressure, Rationalization, and Opportunity were present in the CIT case as follows:

In today's day and age sales workers are taught to lie and cheat to get a good price. Also studies show, greed is closely related to envy, they’re the evil step sisters of life. That same study shows, almost everyone in today’s society show traces of greed. Greed has an impact of destruction of relationships, and most times leads to loneliness. Greed seems to be a common motive of fraud. Fraud is the “wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain”. Also executives of big companies have a goal to rip you off, to make the maximum amount of money

(TCO 5) Fraud is an intentional misrepresentation of facts, made for the purpose of persuading another party to act in a way that causes injury or damage to that party. In our readings and discussions we have seen several examples of fraud in business. Using that experience (1) provide an example of a common fraudulent practice in business with an explanation of how the practice works and (2) name and describe each of the elements of the Fraud Triangle.

It is important to first gain an understanding of the various types of fraud, in order to aid understanding in regards to the prevention of fraudulent activity. This paper begins with a review of the definition of financial fraud, and identification of the different fraud types. Further, included is an examination of what motivates individuals to commit fraud, including an identification of some of the method in which people commit fraud. A discussion of the importance of the fraud triangle, and how rationalization contributes to fraud is a key area of focus. Finally, there is an examination of some controls that prevent and detect fraudulent behavior, including the value and importance of understanding the nature of fraud for

The best theoretical model of fraud to describe why HealthSouth committed fraud is the fraud diamond not the fraud triangle. Both methods require that these three elements are present for committing fraud: perceived pressure, perceived opportunity, and rationalization. Understanding what motivated HealthSouth’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Scrushy to commit fraud, how the accounting staff committed and concealed the fraud, and how the staff justified their participation are crucial. However, anti-fraud professionals believe that changes in social behavior require the addition of a fourth element called capability. Capability includes “personal traits and abilities that play a major role in whether fraud will actually occur” (Fighting Fraud in the Government n.d.). For example, Scrushy’s persuasiveness and Cathy Edward’s position as Michael Vines’ boss increased their capabilities to commit fraud. If capable employees refused to participate, fraud occurrences decrease (Fighting Fraud in the Government n.d.) (Hamilton n.d.).

Every fraud scheme involves opportunities as it becomes the means for the perpetrators to commit the crime. Perpetrators actively pursue opportunities such as analyzing the circumstances that enable the fraud to be committed without getting caught. Pressures to commit fraud are based on various individual factors; for example, debt, status quo, or greed. The rationalization of the crimes are as demoralizing as the crimes, which relate to the pressure the perpetrator is conduced to in committing the crime. Tax fraud, divorce and bankruptcy fraud can all highly relate to the triangle fraud’s underlying factors in providing the source of the crimes that are presented in judicial court systems despite the notorious organizations or ex-love past

Fraud cases are extremely serious events that affect a number of factors for those involved. Fraudsters take advantage of circumstances for his/her benefits, but cause surmountable damages to individuals and entities. The extent of the damages can destroy individuals’ dreams and lead entities to cease from existence. Fraudsters, however, are held liable for the crimes committed, which involve criminal and civil cases. Criminal and civil cases are prosecuted differently, involve different legal aspects and different consequences.

3. (TCO 3) Rationalization is one of the components of the fraud triangle. What types of rationalization could a person use to justify misconduct? How can a company protect itself from rationalization as a part of fraud? (Points : 12)

When the situation in the book is examined, the concepts that came to mind were the Fraud Triangle

offered at their providers’ office that they may have never received. Healthcare organizations work strictly with health care provides to provide optimum care. Because health care organizations work so thoroughly with primary care practices, it allows health care organizations an insight on how they function. Complications that may contradict the program include falsifying patient signatures to unearned incentives. This termed is widely known as health care fraud, further detailed by study as “the basis of the scheme or artifice to defraud in a mail or wire fraud conviction, including billing for services not rendered, false descriptions of services rendered, and false representations that services were medically necessary” (McGuire,2007).

Fraud is a criminal act which involves deception to gain an unfair advantage more often financially Bolton and Hand (2002:235).In this essay, fraud is discussed in relation to the critical paradigm which Schichor (1980:14) believes is an over-simplification criminal behaviour as it is based on the econo-political factor. Apart from fraud discussion, an analysis of possible fraud acts offenders as well as the limitations of the critical paradigm is included in this essay. Typologies such as electoral fraud seem to related well to the critical paradigm as the rich do define crime and laws protect them at the poor’s expense. However, fraud types such as E-tailing, insurance, wire and accounting fraud are not committed by the poor in rebellion to the laws imposed on them by the rich as the paradigm suggests. Zahra, Priem & Rasheed (2005.p. 804-805) say the managerial administrators commit fraud more than the poor. Perhaps due to the poor’s lack of information and advanced technology in contrast with the rich’s quest to get more wealth.

“The first leg of the fraud triangle represents pressure. This is what motivates the crime in the first place. The individual

Fraud is defined as a deliberate misrepresentation that causes a person or business to suffer damages, often in the form of monetary losses through deception or concealment. And Occupational Fraud as defined by the ACFE is the use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the employing organization’s resources or assets. Traditional fraud triangle theory by Donald Cressey explains that propensity of fraud occurring in an organization lies on three critical elements which are Pressure, Opportunity, and Rationalization.

Among the nine factors of the perfect fraud storm; the economy, incentives, and expectations all fulfilled the three elements of the fraud triangle providing the necessary motivation for management to succumb to

I am writing to you to discuss an important problem that every business owner has dealt with. Fraud is a very important issue that must be touched upon. Every year businesses lose millions of dollars due to fraudulent acts made by employees. Business owners and executives have been trying different methods to prevent it but it still happens.