ACFE CFE-Fraud-Schemes-and-Financial-Crimes - Certified Fraud Examiner -Fraud Schemes and Financial Crimes

Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: Illegal pyramid schemes rely on continual recruitment of new members. Early participants are paid from the investments of later recruits, meaning later participants almost always lose money. This matches option B.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A – Not true; pyramid-shaped hierarchies exist in legitimate organizations.

C – The goal isn’t product sales but rather recruitment; products, if present, are often incidental.

D – Incorrect because B is true.

Key Concept: Ponzi and pyramid schemes – payment to early investors with later investors’ funds.

Rationale for Correct Answer: Rationalization is the cognitive process by which fraud perpetrators justify their unethical conduct so they can commit fraud without feeling like criminals. A common way is to “invent a good reason” for their actions (e.g., “I deserve it,” “I’ll pay it back,” “Everyone else is doing it”). Thus, the correct completion is “one’s actions” or more precisely, Rationalization .

Analysis of Incorrect Options: Since this is a fill-in-the-blank, the distractors are implied. The only correct concept here is rationalization of one’s actions .

Key Concept: Rationalization — one leg of the fraud triangle.

The ACFE Manual treats Cash Larceny under Asset Misappropriation: Cash Receipts , and specifically identifies “Theft of Cash from the Register” as a cash larceny scheme.

Cash larceny differs from skimming because in a larceny scheme, the cash has already been recorded on the books before it is stolen. By contrast, skimming occurs before the cash is recorded. The Manual separately covers Skimming and includes schemes such as understated sales , showing that skimming involves stealing cash receipts without fully recording the transaction.

Why C is correct

In Option C, Scott performs a No-Sale transaction, opens the drawer, and removes cash directly from the register. This is the clearest example of theft of cash from the register , which the Manual classifies as cash larceny .

Why the other options are incorrect

A. Laura pretends to record a sale, steals the cash, and gives the customer the merchandise without recording the sale.

This is skimming , not cash larceny, because the sale is never recorded. The Manual treats unrecorded sales thefts under Skimming .

B. Olive records a $400 sale on a $500 purchase and steals the extra $100.

This is also skimming , specifically an understated sales type of scheme, because the full amount of the sale is not recorded. The difference is diverted before complete recording.

D. Michael records a fictitious return and takes $50 from the register.

This is not cash larceny. It is a register disbursement scheme , specifically a fictitious refund , which the Manual covers under Fraudulent Disbursements .

Conclusion

Because Option C involves taking cash directly from the register after access is obtained through a No-Sale transaction, it is the best example of cash larceny under the ACFE Manual.

References

ACFE Fraud Examiners Manual, 2020 International Edition

Asset Misappropriation: Cash Receipts — Cash Larceny / Theft of Cash from the Register

Asset Misappropriation: Cash Receipts — Skimming / Understated Sales

Fraudulent Disbursements — Register Disbursement Schemes / Fictitious Refunds

Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: According to ACFE’s Report to the Nations and the Fraud Examiners Manual, tips are the most common method of detecting corruption cases. Employees, vendors, or customers often report suspicious activity via hotlines or whistleblowing mechanisms.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A. Internal audits – Helpful but less common as the initial detection method.

B. Internal controls – Preventive, not the primary detection source.

D. By accident – Can occur, but far less common than tips.

Key Concept: Tips/whistleblowing as the primary detection method for corruption.

The correct answer is C. A Trojan horse is malware that appears to be legitimate, useful, or harmless software but contains hidden malicious code. Once installed or executed, it can damage systems, steal information, create unauthorized access, or perform other harmful actions. Option A describes ransomware, not a worm; ransomware restricts access to systems or files and demands payment. A worm is self-replicating malware that spreads across networks. Option B describes adware more closely than spyware. Spyware secretly monitors and reports user activity or information. Option D also describes spyware rather than ransomware. Professionally, the key distinction is the malware’s function: concealment and deception for Trojan horses, self-replication for worms, surveillance for spyware, and restriction or encryption for ransomware.

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Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: Kickbacks are undisclosed payments made by vendors to employees of purchasing companies to secure favorable treatment. They are a classic form of bribery under the corruption classification of the Fraud Tree.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A. Bid-rigging – Involves collusion among bidders, not secret payments.

C. Presolicitation – A phase in procurement fraud, not the scheme itself.

D. None of the above – Incorrect, as kickbacks are the precise answer.

Key Concept: Kickbacks — secret vendor payments for favorable purchasing treatment.

Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: The Fraud Examiners Manual (2020) highlights document reviews, audit tracing, financial analysis, and inside witnesses as the primary methods of proving corrupt payments. Secret infiltration is not a standard fraud examination technique; it is more aligned with law enforcement undercover operations.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A. Taxation inquiries – A valid method to confirm payment sources.

C. Inside witness – Valuable evidence in corruption cases.

D. Tracing payments – Fundamental audit step in proving illicit payments.

Key Concept: Proving corrupt payments — standard audit and investigative methods.

Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: In a legitimate competitive bidding process , all bidders must be treated equally, with the same access to information, terms, and conditions. This ensures fairness and prevents procurement fraud.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A. Bid-rigging – The manipulation of competitive bidding, not the fair process.

B. Kickbacks – Involve secret payments, not equal bidding.

D. Bid solicitation – The stage of inviting bids, not the equal treatment requirement.

Key Concept: Competitive bidding — foundation of fairness in procurement.

The correct answer is C. Government and public sector organizations might need to conduct and respond to fraud risk assessments more frequently because their risks can change with political priorities, public programs, emergency funding, legislative mandates, and changing public expectations. Public entities are accountable to citizens, regulators, oversight bodies, and funding authorities. Option A is incorrect because the absence of shareholders does not permit higher fraud tolerance; public stewardship often requires strong accountability. Option B is inaccurate because public sector priorities can shift quickly based on laws, budgets, and government initiatives. Option D is also incorrect because public organizations usually have less autonomy than private entities due to statutory requirements, public scrutiny, procurement rules, and oversight obligations. Fraud risk assessment should therefore be dynamic and responsive.

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Detailed Explanation:

Rationale for Correct Answer: When a tangible asset is stolen (removed from the books), a debit entry would be missing its corresponding credit, leaving the books out-of-balance . Fraudsters often conceal this imbalance by falsifying entries (e.g., creating fictitious expenses or adjusting asset accounts).

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

A. Journal Entries – Too general; not the condition of the books.

C. False debits – A concealment method, but not the direct result.

D. None of all – Incorrect because “out-of-balance” is accurate.

Key Concept: Concealment of asset theft and impact on accounting records.