2. Interview a forensic accountant and ask the following questions:

(a) What general approach do forensic accountants take when investigating the financial statements of companies? and

(b) What specific techniques are used to determine whether accounting fraud has occurred? Anyone who watches television knows about the forensic investigations that police officers conduct as they try to catch the bad guys (think CS/: Miami). It's pretty interesting stuff. But did you know that forensics is also very relevant to the field of accounting? The numerous corporate financial scandals of the last few years have caused an increase in demand for forensic accountants-individuals who investigate the financial transactions of companies in order to determine if something fishy is going on. According to the latest Kroll Global Fraud Report, companies lost an average of $8.2 million to fraud in the past three years, largely because of the credit crunch and tough economic climate.