When collusion meets the fraud triangle: a case study approach

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the different elements of the fraud triangle are present in a case of convicted accounting fraud in collusion.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a case study research.

Findings

The authors find that when a fraud is carried out in collaboration of several internal and external members of the company, the view of the fraud triangle as an explanation of the fraud from a heuristic point of view is a very limited perspective of the fraud as an opportunity has been designed ad hoc for the fraud commission.

Originality/value

Although there is a vast research on accounting fraud, collusion fraud is still an unexplored area. This study gives light on how a real case of fraud is perpetrated.

Citation

Villaescusa, N. and Amat, O. (2022), "When collusion meets the fraud triangle: a case study approach", Journal of Financial Crime, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 805-815. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-05-2021-0111