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The purpose of this study was to determine the determinants of financial statement fraud: the perspective of pentagon fraud theory.

This study used quantitative methods with an explanatory research design by applying secondary data on Islamic banking companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).

External pressure affects financial statement fraud, ineffective monitoring affects financial statement fraud, external auditor quality affects financial statement fraud, change in auditor affects financial statement fraud, frequent number of CEO’s picture affects financial statement fraud, external pressure affects firm size, ineffective monitoring affects firm size, external auditor quality affects firm size, change in auditor affects firm size, frequent number of CEO’s picture affects firm size, firm size affects financial statement fraud, firm size mediates the relationship between external pressure on financial statement fraud, firm size mediates the relationship between ineffective monitoring on financial statement fraud, firm size mediates the relationship between external auditor quality and financial statement fraud, firm size mediates the relationship between change in auditor and financial statement fraud, firm size mediates the relationship between frequent number of CEO’s picture and financial statement fraud.

The limitations of this research were found during the research process and can be used as input for further research and related parties in conducting the research to obtain better research results. The limitations of this study are as follows: this study only focused on Islamic banking, so it cannot be generalized to other sectors. Besides, this study only tested five independent variables, one dependent variable and one mediating variable.

For external auditors, financial statement fraud by management might be caused by many factors and is a social as well as an economic problem that must be addressed immediately. Therefore, in carrying out the duties and roles as an external auditor, they must have an attitude of independence (not taking sides) in the mental attitude that must be maintained by the auditor related to the assignment. Auditors must have sufficient technical expertise and training as auditors. In carrying out the audit, the auditor should use their professional skills in responding carefully and thoroughly. Moreover, in carrying out audit work, the auditor must have a plan, must know adequate internal control and obtain sufficiently competent audit evidence.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, very few studies in Indonesia have applied the Beneish model. There is only one study that implemented the Beneish model, and the study examined only a few companies listed on the IDX. The findings of the present study have important implications not only for banks but also for users of financial statement accounts in Indonesia, especially for investors, auditors, regulators, taxation and other state authorities.

Financial statement fraud has become a global concern, and auditors are increasingly focused on identifying and investigating it. Auditors may play a crucial role in investigating and reducing financial statement fraud, and this is particularly important in developing countries where fraudulent practices are more prevalent due to the lack of strict regulations and oversight. This study investigates whether enhanced audit quality has an impact on reducing financial statement fraud. The primary aim is to recognize whether a higher level of audit quality relates with a decrease in fraudulent activities in Indonesia, which is one such country that has not yet adopted IFRS.

This study investigates the effect of audit quality, as measured by audit tenure, audit fee, and audit size, on the dependent variable of financial statement fraud, as indicated by Dechow F-value. The sample for this study comprises 951 observations from 2015 to 2020, and the research design utilizes a panel data approach. To test the main hypothesis, OLS, and GMM estimation techniques are employed.

The analyses reveal a negative relationship between audit tenure and financial statement fraud. This suggests that shorter audit tenure may be associated with an increased risk of financial statement fraud. This heightened risk could stem from auditors having limited time to thoroughly understand the company's operations and internal controls, potentially making it more challenging to detect and prevent fraudulent activities perpetrated by the client. Conversely, a positive relationship is identified between audit fees and financial statement fraud, suggesting that companies paying higher fees may be engaging auditors less adept at detecting fraudulent activities. Furthermore, a negative relationship is observed between Big-5 and financial statement fraud, which may be due to the greater resources, expertise, quality control, scrutiny, reputation, and ethical conduct of Big-5 audit companies.

This study only focused on listed companies in Indonesia, therefore, caution should be exercised when generalizing the findings to other developing and Muslim countries such as Malaysia. The findings may differ due to the adoption of IFRS in Malaysia. As such, it is important for future studies to include Malaysia as a sample and compare the results with those of Indonesia. This comparison would demonstrate the impact of IFRS adoption on the relationship between audit quality and financial statement fraud and provide insights for policy makers in Indonesia.

The findings of this study have important implications for developing countries that have been shown to be more susceptible to fraud than developed countries. This study contributes to the existing research on the role of audit quality in reducing financial statement fraud and emphasizes the need for auditors and accountants to take a proactive approach in detecting and investigating financial fraud.

This study is a new study because it investigates the relationship between audit quality and financial statement fraud in Indonesia, a developing Muslim country that has not yet adopted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The study provides valuable evidence on the unique factors that influence fraud in Indonesia and fills a gap in the literature as previous studies on this topic have largely focused on developed countries. Additionally, the study recommends that policymakers in Indonesia consider implementing IFRS to improve the reliability of financial reporting and strengthen the effectiveness of the auditing process, thus reducing the incidence of fraud.

This study aims to compare machine learning models, datasets and splitting training-testing using data mining methods to detect financial statement fraud.

This study uses a quantitative approach from secondary data on the financial reports of companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in the last ten years, from 2010 to 2019. Research variables use financial and non-financial variables. Indicators of financial statement fraud are determined based on notes or sanctions from regulators and financial statement restatements with special supervision.

The findings show that the Extremely Randomized Trees (ERT) model performs better than other machine learning models. The best original-sampling dataset compared to other dataset treatments. Training testing splitting 80:10 is the best compared to other training-testing splitting treatments. So the ERT model with an original-sampling dataset and 80:10 training-testing splitting are the most appropriate for detecting future financial statement fraud.

This study can be used by regulators, investors, stakeholders and financial crime experts to add insight into better methods of detecting financial statement fraud.

This study proposes a machine learning model that has not been discussed in previous studies and performs comparisons to obtain the best financial statement fraud detection results. Practitioners and academics can use findings for further research development.

This study aims to investigate cases of fraudulent financial statements that have occurred in Indonesia and explore the similarities of cases that existed in the period before and after the establishment of the Financial Services Authority.

This paper provides a descriptive examination of financial misstatements issued by different regimes by listed companies of the capital market and financial institution supervisory agency and the introduction of new financial service authority; among 93 listed companies that were subject to an official investigation arising from the publication of financial misstatements, these assessments were facilitated by mean of content analysis of annual reports following the announcement of an investigation.

The findings indicate that each regime has a specific pattern of financial statement fraud. It is found that senior management is responsible for most fraud, and recording a fictitious sale is the most common method of falsifying financial statements. Under the new regime, the publication of cases is limited since the introduction of risk-based supervision. Financial Services Authority is likely to fine and prosecute the director of a company as a perpetrator rather than a corporation as a legal entity.

This study contributes to the literature on the incidence of financial statement fraud in public companies and provides a detailed descriptive comparison of cases scrutinized by securities exchange commission in an emerging country.

The aim of this study is to examine the patterns of fraud present in Valeant’s 2014 and 2015 financial statements and determine through a risk management analysis whether these frauds could have been prevented. This analysis provides the opportunity to more effectively prevent financial statement fraud.

Data were collected from Valeant pharmaceuticals annual reports, financial statements reports and financial authority documentation. Based on these documents, this paper analyzes the different fraud schemes and investigate whether fraud could have been detected earlier by governance actors. In particular, this paper examines the firm’s financial statements three years before the fraud was detected by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The analysis of financial statements reveals few clues and no alarming red flags three years before detection of the fraud. However, financial statement analyses were complex because of the many acquisitions the firm made in the years before.

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on fraud by investigating a case of financial statement fraud.

Financial fraud is a severe corporate fraud committed for achieving various objectives, like attaining financial targets, lowering debt and providing good signals to the market. Such financial fraud deceives stakeholders and results in substantial financial losses. This study aims to detect financial fraud using the modified Beneish M-Score, the most appropriate forensic tool for fraud detection. Furthermore, the current study also examines the influential role of the fraud triangle’s elements (pressure, opportunity and rationalization) on financial fraud in nonfinancial firms during 2018–2021, offering insight for understanding and mitigating fraudulent activities in the corporate world.

Financial fraud is treated as a dependent variable measured through a modified Beneish M-score, while the fraud triangle elements (pressure, opportunity and rationalization) are measured through six proxies, which are financial stability, leverage, financial target, nature of the industry, the effectiveness of supervision and auditor changes.

The study's finding proclaimed that fraud triangle elements result in financial fraud. Findings unveil that all elements (pressure, opportunity and rationalization) of the fraud triangle significantly influence financial fraud. The study confirms that these elements must be considered to protect investors and provide a safe environment for investment.

Rare literature found addressing the detection of financial fraud and its nexus with the fraud triangle specifically in Pakistan where deficient governance is notably prevalent. This study attempts to fill such a gap and contribute to knowledge.

The purpose of this study is to explore how the risk of management motives for fraud can be assessed in external audits.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 experienced external auditors to explore their perspectives on the methods they employ to assess the risk of management motives for fraud.

The study identifies six methods external auditors can use to assess management motives for fraud. It emphasises that assessing management motives requires auditors to go beyond understanding these motives and necessitates a sceptical and analytical mindset. Auditors need to identify the accounts most vulnerable to management manipulations, observe management attitudes and assess the credibility of management assertions. The auditors in this study highlight specific accounts frequently manipulated by management. Still, manual year-end journal entries are the most vulnerable to management manipulations as they are subject to fewer controls. They recommend increasing the sample size to 100% and assigning more experienced staff, particularly, those with qualifications in fraud examination or anti-fraud training, to audit these vulnerable accounts thoroughly. They also provided examples of how auditors can identify management motives for fraud, observe management attitudes and assess the credibility of management assertions.

Audit standards (e.g. ISA 240, SAS99) lack explicit guidance on assessing management motives for fraud, but auditors are required to consider it in fraud risk assessment. This study proposes guidance recommendations to improve auditors' ability to assess this risk, which could be integrated into professional audit standards and training materials to improve auditors' professional scepticism, ability to challenge management and skills in fraud risk assessment.

Assessing the risk of management motives for fraud in external audits has received limited attention in the literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to address this knowledge gap.

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of forensic accounting techniques to prevent and detect fraudulent activities in firms in Pakistan.

A descriptive research approach has been adopted in this study. Primary data has been collected through structured questionnaires distributed to professionals from investigating firms, professional bodies and field researchers. The independent variables that were analyzed included fraud investigation, litigation support and dispute resolution, whereas the dependent variables were fraud detection and prevention. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences has been used for data analysis to derive objective results.

This research reveals that forensic accounting techniques such as fraud investigation, litigation support and dispute resolution have a positive impact on fraud detection and prevention in Pakistani firms.

Firms should train staff on forensic accounting techniques, implement fraud risk management and anti-corruption policies, conduct regular financial statement audits and develop a whistleblower protection program to encourage employees to report fraudulent activities. The government should develop regulations and guidelines to promote the use of forensic accounting in firms.

This study is covering the gap in literature on financial fraud and forensic accounting practices concerning emerging economies such as Pakistan. This study can serve as a valuable resource for firms and policymakers to strengthen their fraud prevention efforts and build a more robust culture of financial integrity.

This study aims to investigate the moderating role of natural language processing natural language processing (NLP) on the relationship between AI-empowered AIS (data gathering, data analysis, risk assessment, detection, prevention and Investigation) and auditing and fraud detection.

Quantitative methodology was adapted through a questionnaire. In total, 221 individuals represented the population of the study, and SPSS was used to screen primary data. The study indicated the acceptance of the hypothesis that “Artificial Intelligence in AIS has a statistically significant influence on auditing and fraud detection,” showing a strong correlation between auditing and fraud detection. The study concluded that NLP moderates the relationship between AI in AIS and auditing and fraud detection.

The study’s implications lie in its contribution to the development of theoretical models that explore the complementary attributes of AI and NLP in detecting financial fraud.

A cross-sectional design is a limitation.

NLP is a useful tool for developing more efficient methods for detecting fraudulent activities and audit risks.

The study’s originality stems from its focus on the use of AI-empowered AIS, a relatively new technology that has the potential to significantly impact auditing and fraud detection processes within the accounting field.

The aim of this study is to approach the way in which corporate governance influences the occurrence of financial fraud, as expressed by the M-Beneish score. In order to get further into the topic, we have first computed a corporate governance score based on the comply-explain statement and then selected a few elements that are part of the corporate governance reporting: equilibrium of board members (EQUIL), independence of board members (INDEP), selection of the board members (NOM), remuneration policy (REM), audit committee (AUDIT) and the proportion of female directors on boards (GenF). They were tested, one by one, using the financial fraud score to see the way in which they interact.

The study is conducted on a sample of 65 companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) for the 2016–2022 period. The data were processed using three-stage general least square [general least squares (GLS), with iteration, igls and option] with a common first-order panel-specific autocorrelation correction, so as to explain how a poor adoption of the corporate governance score and its elements has a negative implication for the M-Beneish score, controlling for the auditor opinion, type of auditing company and if the company is privately owned.

The results support most of our research hypothesis, revealing that a poor adoption of the corporate governance score and its components – AUDIT, EQUIL, INDEP and GenF – negatively influences the M-Beneish score, i.e. a low corporate governance score will lead to an increase in financial fraud. This is an encouraging aspect, for an improved adoption of the corporate governance principles reduces the occurrence of financial fraud.

This is a study that concerns the relationship between corporate governance and financial fraud for the case study for Romania.

The study highlights the importance of adopting the corporate governance code applied to the Romanian business environment. By measuring the presence of financial fraud appearance through the M-Beneish score, we have managed to outline the negative relationship between the two components. Thus, it is an important aspect of which companies should take account, so they will have long-term benefits and ensure the continuity of the business.

The policy implications of this project are for policymakers, so that they will understand how a good corporate governance mechanism will enhance high-performing businesses. Different aspects regarding corporate governance were validated and are in the process of being validated. Managers can extract and try to understand and apply the good characteristics of corporate governance for the well-being of their companies. At a broader level, the macroeconomic environment will increase its own well-being while encouraging market players to enhance qualitative corporate governance reporting. There is no doubt that corporate governance has a positive impact on businesses.

The study highlights the importance of adopting the corporate governance code as applied to the Romanian business environment. By measuring the occurrence of financial fraud using the M-Beneish score, we have managed to outline the negative relationship between the two components. Therefore, this is an important aspect that companies should take into account in order to have long-term benefits and ensure the continuity of their business.