Course Outline
Fraud Examination
Bachelor of Commerce
Fall 2023
General Information
Course Number: ACCO 455, Section A
Time: Tuesday, from 11:45 to 14:30
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: COMM 217 and COMM 315 or 316 (or equivalent)
Dr. Dominic Peltier-Rivest, Ph.D., M.Acc., CFE
Professor & Certified Fraud Examiner
John Molson School of Business, Concordia University
Telephone: (514) 848-2424 Ext. 2778
Email: D.Peltier-Rivest@concordia.ca
Web: http://www.concordia.ca/jmsb/faculty/dominic-peltier-rivest.html
Office: MB 14-301
Office Hours: by appointment via phone or zoom or in person
Course Description
This course examines1 the principles of fraud prevention, detection and deterrence.
Topics covered may include the psychology of the fraudster, cash receipt schemes,
cash disbursement schemes, non-cash misappropriations, corruption, fraudulent
financial statements, fraud risk assessments, investigation techniques and
interviewing witnesses. This course may also examine auditors’ responsibilities
towards fraud, the evaluation of internal controls and important pieces of legislation
such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. Finally, the ethical
aspects associated with fraud are discussed. Class sessions consist of lectures and
real-life fraud case/video discussions from various sources, including the Association
of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
Company officers responsible for proper design, periodic assessment of the
effectiveness, and disclosure of material deficiencies in internal controls to external
auditors and the audit committee. They are also required to disclose to auditors and
the audit committee any fraud, whether material or not, that involves management or
other employees who have a significant role in the company’s internal controls. This
course is useful to Business Students as it focuses on the role of management
in the prevention, detection and disclosure of occupational fraud. This course
also helps Accounting Students to recognize and analyze the red flags of fraud
during regular audit missions, and to explain how allegations of fraud should be
investigated and resolved.
This course is led by Dr. Peltier-Rivest who conducts research and teaches courses
on anti-fraud topics at JMSB. Dr. Peltier-Rivest's research has been published in such
journals as the Journal of Financial Crime; the Journal of Forensic Accounting; Fraud
Magazine; the Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation; Advances in
International Accounting; and the Quarterly Journal of Business and Economics. He
has also presented his research at various international conferences and has served
as an external advisor on anti-fraud matters, including for the Office of the Auditor
General of Canada. Dr. Peltier-Rivest received his Master’s Degree in Accounting
(M.Acc.) from Florida State University in 1993. He earned his Ph.D. in accounting &
finance from the same university in December 1996. He obtained the Certified Fraud
Examiner (CFE) professional designation in 2005. In addition to his contributions as
Professor, he worked as Executive Director of the Centre for Academic Leadership for
nearly two years. He also served as Associate Dean, Academic Relations, for almost
two years and as Chairman of the Department of Accountancy for nearly six years.
1 In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content,
evaluation scheme and/or delivery mode of this course is subject to change.
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Fraud Examination – Dr. D. Peltier-Rivest – Fall 2023
Learning Outcomes
ACCO 455 is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic
concepts of occupational fraud (including corruption and fraudulent reporting). At the
end of the course, students should be able to:
• Analyze how, and why, occupational fraud is committed.
• Evaluate and recommend how fraudulent conduct may be detected and
deterred.
• Evaluate and recommend proper internal controls.
• Explain how allegations of fraud should be investigated and resolved.
• Explain current fraud-related legislation (e.g., the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,
management and auditors’ legal responsibilities, the Criminal Code).
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical aspects associated with fraud.
Teaching Methods
Class sessions will consist of lectures, real-life fraud case discussions, and the
presentation of videos from various sources, including the Association of Certified
Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Students are expected to prepare by doing the necessary
readings before coming to class. The instructor will not cover all of the material that
students are expected to learn. Students are expected to participate actively by asking
questions and sharing their ideas with other students. Moodle will be used to deliver
some course content non-synchronously (available during the whole semester).
Unrecorded zoom sessions may also be used to substitute for some lectures (if
required by university authorities to safeguard public health).
Course Evaluation
The final grade for the course will be based on the following components:
Evaluation Due Date Weight
Class Participation See Schedule on pp. 10-11 20%
Mid-Term Exam (Case Analysis) Oct. 31 (11h45 – 13h45) 30%
Final Exam (Multiple Choices) TBA by Exams Office (2 hours) 50%
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Details of Assignments
Class Participation (20%)
Students are expected to participate in class (see schedule on pp. 10-11) during
concept discussions, video discussions or case discussions. All students must attend
the guest speaker session at the end of the semester.
Academic Integrity
The Academic Code of Conduct at Concordia University states that the integrity of the
University, and its degrees, diplomas and certificates, is dependent upon the honesty
and soundness of the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of
the evaluation process. All students are expected to be honest in all of their academic
endeavours and relationships with the University (Academic Code of Conduct, Article
1). All students enrolled at Concordia are expected to familiarize themselves with the
content of this Code. You are strongly encouraged to visit the following web address:
http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity.html, which provides useful
information about proper academic conduct.
The most common offence under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism which
the Code defines as "the presentation of the work of another person as one's
own or without proper acknowledgement." This could be material copied word for
word from books, journals, internet sites, professor's course notes, etc. It could be
material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source. It could be the
work of a fellow student, for example, an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a
paper or assignment completed by another student. It might be a paper purchased
through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone -
it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. "Presentation" is not
limited to written work. It also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and
artistic works. Finally, if you translate the work of another person into French or
English and do not cite the source, this is also plagiarism. In simple words: do not
copy, paraphrase or translate anything from anywhere without citing your
source.
Shared course content belonging to the instructor, including, but not limited to, online
lectures, power point slides and video recordings remain the intellectual property of
the faculty member and/or the university. It must not be distributed, published or
shared, in whole or in part, without the express permission of the faculty
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member. Students are also forbidden to use their own means of recording any
elements of a class without explicit permission of the instructor. Any
unauthorized sharing of course content may constitute a breach of the Academic
Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Rights and Responsibilities.
For some of your assignments, your professor may be using the software
Urkund. It uses text matching technology as a method to uphold the University’s high
academic integrity standards to detect any potential plagiarism. Urkund is integrated
into Moodle. The software may review your paper when you upload it to Moodle. To
learn more about Urkund’s privacy policy please review its Privacy Policy.
Required Course Materials
Textbook or E-Book
Wells, Joseph T. 2014. Principles of Fraud Examination. 4th Edition. Wiley & Sons Inc.
521 pages.
ACFE Fraud Report
ACFE 2022. Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations. Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners. 96 pages.
https://legacy.acfe.com/report-to-the-
nations/2022/?_ga=2.128058820.93662964.1660584747-96961337.1592936454
Codes of Ethics
ACFE Codes of Ethics and Professional Standards:
https://www.acfe.com/about-the-acfe/acfe-rules-of-conduct-and-disciplinary-
procedures
Code of Ethics of Québec CPAs:
http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cr/C-48.1,%20r.%206
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Other Fraud Prevention Resources
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE):
http://www.acfe.com/
Canadian Legal Information Institute:
http://www.canlii.org/en/
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enforcement:
http://www.sec.gov/litigation.shtml
Journal of Financial Crime:
https://search-proquest-com.lib-ezproxy.concordia.ca/publication/25895
Business Article Database:
https://search-proquest-com.lib-ezproxy.concordia.ca/?accountid=10246
Fraud Magazine (full text):
https://concordiauniversity.on.worldcat.org/oclc/55613810
Fraud Magazine (limited text without membership):
http://www.fraud-magazine.com/current.aspx
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Useful Student Services
Virtual Student Information Desk
http://www.concordia.ca/students.html
Concordia Counselling and Psychological Services
http://www.concordia.ca/students/counselling.html
Advocacy and Support Services
http://www.concordia.ca/offices/advocacy.html/
Access Centre for Students with Disabilities
http://www.concordia.ca/offices/acsd.html/
The Academic Integrity Website
http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity.html
Financial Aid & Awards
http://www.concordia.ca/offices/faao.html
Health Services
http://www.concordia.ca/students/health.html
The Concordia Library Citation and Style Guides:
http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/citations.html
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Assessment of Learning Outcomes
The following learning objectives are assessed by the following course assignments:
• Analyze how, and why, occupational fraud is committed:
Case Discussions, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam.
• Evaluate and recommend how fraudulent conduct may be detected and
deterred:
Case Discussions, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam.
• Evaluate and recommend proper internal controls:
Case Discussions, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam.
• Explain how allegations of fraud should be investigated and resolved:
Final Exam.
• Explain current fraud-related legislation:
Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical aspects associated with fraud:
Case Discussions, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam.
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Fraud Examination – Dr. D. Peltier-Rivest – Fall 2023
Feedback and Grading
The objective of this course is to broaden your knowledge and skills in the area of
Fraud Prevention & Investigation. Feedback will be provided to you throughout the
course. At the end of the course, the instructor will submit a letter grade for every
student registered. The following list provides the equivalent letter and number grades
to evaluate each student’s overall performance:
B.Comm. Students:
Letter Number
A+ 90% - 100%
A 85% - 89%
A- 80% - 84%
B+ 77% - 79%
B 73% - 76%
B- 70% - 72%
C+ 67% - 69%
C 63% - 66%
C- 60% - 62%
D+ 57% - 59%
D 53% - 56%
D- 50% - 52%
F 0 - 49%
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Fraud Examination At-a-glance
Session Activity Required Readings from Date Evaluation
Textbook & Cases on Moodle
Cases on Moodle
1 Introduction to Fraud Examination Chapter-1 Sept. 5
Occupational Fraud: Big Picture Chapter-17
2 Skimming Chapter-2 Sept. 12
Cash Larceny Chapter-3; Case-Ch.3
3 Billing Schemes Chapter-4; Case-Ch.4 Sept. 19 Participation
Case-Ch.4
4 Check Tampering Chapter-5 Sept. 26 Participation
Payroll Schemes Chapter-6 Case-Ch.6
5 Expense Reimbursement Schemes Chapter-7 Oct. 3 Participation
Register Disbursement Schemes Chapter-8 Case-Ch.7
6 Non-Cash Assets Chapter-9 Oct. 17 Participation
Case-Ch.9
7 Corruption Chapter-10 Oct. 24 Participation
Case-Ch.10
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8 MID-TERM EXAM Oct. 31 MID-TERM EXAM
(11h45 – 13h45) (In-Class)
9 Accounting Principles & Fraud Chapter-11 Nov. 7 Participation
Codes of Ethics Codes of Ethics (web links on p.6) Case-Ch.11
Fraudulent Financial Statements Chapter-12
10 Fraudulent Financial Statements Chapter-12 Nov. 14 Participation
Case-Ch.12
11 Fraud Risk Assessment Chapter-14 Nov. 21
Conducting Investigations Chapter-15
Interviewing Witnesses Chapter-16
12 Money Laundering Guest Speaker Nov. 28 Mandatory
(11h45 – 13h15) Attendance
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