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Conducting A Preliminary Fraud Interview

If you suspect an employee of fraud, you will want to enlist the help of financial and legal advisors to handle the bulk of the investigation. Ahead of their arrival, however, you may need to perform interviews to help resolve any doubts and obtain information before memories fade.

Prepare for the pros

In advance of requesting any meetings, decide what information you are looking for. Knowing what you want helps you get to the truth of the matter quickly and avoid getting sidetracked by extraneous information. Then, identify who is best able to supply that information.

Say, for example, you suspect an accounts receivable employee of siphoning money. You may want to talk to that person’s supervisor and a member of your information technology department to get information on work habits, unusual behavior, or signs of file tampering. Remember, though, that people may be reluctant to share information if they feel it reflects poorly on them or if it might land someone else in hot water.

Just the facts, please

When you sit down for an interview, set the tone with some introductory questions and ask the interviewee to agree to cooperate. In most cases, you will be looking for information that helps prove or disprove your suspicions, and the interview will be fact-finding in nature. It should last long enough for you to obtain all the information the subject has to offer, but do not prolong sessions unnecessarily.

Aim for an informal, relaxed conversation and be sure to remain professional, calm, and nonthreatening. Do not interrupt unnecessarily, suggest that you have preconceived ideas about who did what, or assert your authority unnecessarily. If you suspect someone is withholding information, try asking more detailed questions, and if someone says something you believe is untrue, ask for clarification. You might suggest that your question was misunderstood or that the employee did not give it enough thought before answering.

Finally, never make threats or promises to encourage an employee to change a statement or confess. If the case ends up in court, such tactics could make the evidence you collect inadmissible. If someone persists in lying, ask them to put their statement in writing and sign it. Then turn the statement — and your suspicions — over to experienced fraud investigators.

Interview, do not interrogate

Finding evidence of fraud is bad enough. Turning interviews into interrogations will only make matters worse and could hinder your ability to pursue and punish fraud offenders. If you need help conducting fraud interviews, the business advisors at KPM can help. Contact us today to see how we can assist you with your fraud investigation.

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