Does Fraud Training Help Auditors Identify Fraud Risk Factors?

Abstract

The current study examines the effect of fraud training on auditors' ability to identify fraud risk factors. This is important because most auditors have little or no direct experience with fraud; thus, research that investigates the potential effect of indirect experience through training is vitally important to fraud detection and audit quality. A total of 369 experienced auditors completed a complex audit simulation task that involved 15 seeded fraud risk red flags. A total of 143 auditors participated in a 30-minute training session focused specifically on fraud risk, while the remaining 226 auditors learned about general internal control risk during this time block. The results indicate that auditors with fraud training identified significantly more red flags and obtained greater knowledge about fraud risk than auditors who did not receive the training. Considering that the fraud training consumed only 30 minutes out of a 64-hour training session, the findings suggest that even modest exposure to fraud training is quite effective.

Citation

Lloyd Bierstaker, J., Hunton, J.E. and Thibodeau, J.C. (2012), "Does Fraud Training Help Auditors Identify Fraud Risk Factors?", Bobek Schmitt, D. (Ed.) Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research (Advances in Accounting Behavioural Research, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 85-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1475-1488(2012)0000015008