How good are FBI agents at detecting lies?
How good are accountants at detecting spreadsheet errors?
How good are computer programs at detecting fraudulent transactions?
Can a one-hour training program really increase your lie-detection skills by 50%?
These are just some examples of topics we will explore in the area of fraud detection.Fraud detection involves a theoretical understanding of human capabilities for deception detection, and machine capabilities for distinguishing patterns of normal randomness from those of suspicious activities. Although many theories and tools have been offered in the profession, a systematic consideration of their validity and reliability would significant move the field in a positive direction.
Evidence-based recommendations will be published here as MFF students translate the scientific literature on fraud detection into actionable recommendations for fraud-fighting professionals.
Center for Evidence-Based Fraud and Forensics 
I have known a fair number of bona fide criminals, and I am always surprised by what believable liars they are. The con man can only succeed if he can truly gain your confidence. I have read, in fact that psychologist are no more accurate than detecting lies than mere chance.
I took MFF715 (Forensic Research and Analysis) in 2012 and worked with a team that focused on fraud detection. This class helped me grow as a professional in multiple ways. It promoted both independent and teamwork more in depth than other MFF classes I have taken so far in the program. The independent work focused mainly on key concepts of the class, such as weekly power point lectures, quizzes and practice questions, as well as participating in discussion boards. The requirements for the discussion board encouraged alternative ways of thinking, and helped me to look further into opinions and thoughts of other people than I normally would. The team aspect of this class was extremely beneficial to me, mainly because I worked with a fantastic group of individuals. We collaborated many times throughout each week as we progressed through assignments, and worked diligently to make each assignment our best work. With such a large amount of research to be conducted, and revisions to be made each week, I learned the importance of collaboration and being able to rely on others. Personally, I enjoyed this part of the class the most, because it was during research and team assignments that I learned the most, not only about scientific research and collaboration, but also about the many methods of fraud detection currently utilized.
One challenge of this course was time restrictions. With discussion posts, responses, a paper and a quiz due each week, the amount of work could build up rather quickly. However, this challenge also helped me to prioritize. For example- I completed the individual work on my own time as soon as it was released, and my team worked together from during the week to complete all the work. Another challenge of the course was creativity with determining a topic within fraud detection. The term project requires three recommendations to be made about fraud detection, and it took us quite some time to think of a common underlying theme to tie three recommendations together.
While this course may have caused me personal frustrations throughout its five weeks, it has taught me a great deal that will carry over into my professional career. I learned the value of reliable and valid research, and the importance it serves in future decisions. I also learned the importance of communication and prioritizing. These are invaluable assets to carry forward in future classes throughout the MFF program, but also to utilize as I progress through a career in fraud.
I am a currently enrolled in the MFF715, 2012 course and my teams’ topic area is Fraud Detection. This course is considerably more challenging than other fraud courses I have attempted. I welcome the challenge it has presented. The course focuses in on prevention, detection and investigation, a full spectrum of fraud not just a static subject. It encompassed a critical challenge each week and required analysis of complicated concepts. The requirements for forensic applications are numerous as was presented.
The course has greatly expanded my knowledge of forensic methodologies. I now have a greater understanding of the criminal justice system and what has and can go wrong within its confines. The Innocence Project was a fascinating study; I took away invaluable information on what is real forensic science and how it is relied on to determine guilt or innocence.
I was delighted by the required text for the course as well, which were not traditional textbooks, which can become tedious and have no relevance to the objectives. The texts were in direct context to the weekly assignments and offered much elaboration on the topics for discussion. I have been introduced to concepts I have not been exposed to previously and have developed a greater appreciation for those who have dedicated themselves to the science.
As I have learned a great deal in this course, the course does present challenges in its development. Mainly, at issue is the communication of the information. The only suggestion I can offer is perhaps to establish a 1 hour credit course or at least a Webinar prior, to introduce the concept of the course. The course is detailed and exacting in its requirement and requires the review of many subject areas and concepts within a brief period of time. In addition, there is the expectation of having to develop a paper worthy of publication.
I see the necessity and the far reaching implications and applications of the science in determining creditable evidence. I have benefited from this knowledge and will practically apply the principles in my work. As a team leader this will allow me to not only apply the knowledge but to instruct my team members on the concepts as well.
I am currently enrolled in my last week of MFF715. My group and I have been eagerly working on fraud detection. I have learned a lot by taking this course. I never knew how important scientific evidence was to fraud and forensics. To make reliable and valid conclusions we must be conscious of our evidence. Instead of making decisions based on feelings or hunches we need to have significant information to back it up. Pertaining to detection I learned how important is to establish procedures based on experiments and evidence.
I liked all of the real world readings and videos we were able to learn from. I took a a lot of valuable information as I begin my professional career. The types of evidence that is valid and reliable along with how to make recommendations to better support our claims.
I found it a little difficult to work in groups being enrolled in a online course, but being provided with the right tools such a web ex and emails we were able to navigate through as best we could. It was difficult to put 5 different peoples work together.
Overall I really enjoyed this class, and took away valuable information.
If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck . . . it may be that a purported duck expert painted a chicken yellow, stuck a beak on it and spent years training it to walk, finally convincing us based on their years of experience what a duck should look like.
My name is Richard Holter and I am a graduate student in the Masters of Fraud and Forensic MFF715 (Forensic Research & Analysis) Course in 2012 at Carlow University. The preceding example illustrates one of my leanings from the course while my team and I worked on the study of the area of Fraud Detection and Constant Vigilance. The course taught us through excellent readings and the use of videos and class projects what scientific evidence really was and what was not scientific. As the duck expert illustrates, we also found out that just because someone has years of experience and is a recognized “expert” if his/her work is not based on scientific evidence, the testimony they offer is suspect at best.
I, personally, have years of experience in my field but the course made me reflect on that experience and how my decisions are made. It has caused me to pause and think in my decision-making, no matter the issue now, that I need to make my decisions based on scientific evidence. In the past I felt I had great instincts and good reasoning ability and combined with my years of experience I could grasp a situation and make solid decisions. I now have been reminded, if not newly taught, how important it is to make my decisions after asking the right questions and letting the evidence guide me rather than my “gut.” I still feel experience is valuable as it helps me make the evaluation of the evidence scientifically as I’ve seen many of the situations take place.
This course was very interesting in both its format and its content. The format was a mixture of individual work with group work. I had the good fortune to have two very solid, intelligent and dedicated team members and we worked well together. I was able to see other viewpoints from the various professions that were represented not only in my group but in other groups. The readings included “Convicting the Innocent” by Brandon Garrett, which was an excellent read about the injustices of our justice system and what has caused them related to the lack of scientific evidence understanding and application. Additionally there was “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty” by Dr. Dan Ariely. I found his book entertaining and educational to read. He illustrates profusely the use and misuse of scientific evidence. In addition we read excellent journal articles on the topic and watch video lectures that illustrated among other things the pitfalls of eyewitness identification and how scientific studies can help improve their reliability. Our class project in Fraud Detection helped us put all this together with evidence-based recommendations to be submitted in hopes of being published in “Fraud Magazine.”
The course we embarked on is part of an intense degree program and is only five weeks long. All of us are full-time students but most all of us have full time professional jobs as well so meeting the challenges of the intense schedule of readings and assignments was truly a challenge. We all knew that when we enrolled in this intense one-year program leading to a Master’s of Science though. Other challenges for me was making sure to open my mind and put away old paradigm’s that I possessed from over 30 years in law enforcement, security, and loss prevention. By end of the course I feel that I have done just that. I have become more scholarly and scientific in my approach and in my decision making because I have many examples now where scientific evidence should have been applied.
Anyone embarking on a quest as a fraud investigator, police officer, detective, or any professional investigator will benefit from this course. . One quickly becomes accustomed to questioning what is evidence and what is not and this can prove invaluable as we begin a career or as a reminder for those of us who have been doing it a while. Even if one is not in the fraud field and is a manager of a business this course could prove valuable as you apply principles of evidence-based decision making. It will truly help us determine if we can believe that expert or not when he tries to convince us that ducks know two languages – “bock bock” and “quack quack.”
Currently, I am a student at Carlow University and I am working towards a Master of Science degree in the Fraud and Forensics program (MFF). Dan Ariely’s book: “The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty” and Brandon Garrett’s book “Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong” were required texts we had to read during our course on Forensic Research and Analysis (MFF715) in 2012 and I worked on the topical area of Detection but also learned about prevention and investigative procedures. A link to Carlow University’s graduate program is listed below:
http://gradstudies.carlow.edu/fraudforensics/index.html
What I liked about the Forensic Research and Analysis course is that it taught me to think differently. I have an undergraduate degree in Finance so being forced to question theories and whether or not those theories are backed by scientific evidence was very different for me. We learned the basics of scientific research including hypotheses, biases, control groups, and reliability and validity.
From Ariely’s book I learned how scientific research is conducted, how to set up control groups, etc., but most importantly how to properly question and evaluate current policies. For example, when Ariely was in the burn-unit in the hospital he made suggestions to the nurses asking to give him breaks while un-wrapping his bandages. They said that they knew the best way to minimize the pain. Overall, after research, the nurses ended up being wrong and they should have started at the most painful area (face) and worked their way down; over a period of time they should have also given him breaks.
From Garrett’s book I learned the importance of questioning the scientific evidence behind expert testimony, eyewitness identification, and even some DNA sampling. I have sat on a jury before and never thought to question whether or not expert analyst testimony was accurate. I also realized that almost all analysts are only for the prosecution which does not help when trying to question the accuracy of an expert analyst’s testimony. Public defenders are also often unsure whether or not to object or question testimony which also leads room for wrongful convictions.
I think one of the biggest challenges in this program is group work. It is very difficult in an online environment, especially when you have people in different time zones. The (group) course work often builds off of each assignment and even interlaces during the week; if you have a busy schedule Monday-Friday and usually do your work on the weekend it is hard to organize assignments with everyone’s schedules. For example, if instruction 2 builds off of instruction 1 for the week and you are busy Monday- Friday, you most likely will always have to do the 2nd part of the assignment since it’s completion is dependent on part 1. Overall, group work is challenging because it takes good communication skills and organization and is a lot of dependency on other individuals. In the future, I believe this group work will benefit us when applying for jobs since we are able to organize and use technology to communicate with people in different time zones.
After completing the MFF program I think we will all have a benefit of finding work in an area we are passionate about since we will have an advanced, distinguished degree. I think there is an ever-expanding need for CFE’s as technology develops and white-collar crime becomes a higher risk to corporations. Overall, this program is giving me an all-around education in topics such as ethics, research, prevention, detection, and investigation skills; in the future I am looking forward to learning more about cyber crime and financial statement fraud and how to prevent and detect both of these threats as well.
As a current student of Carlow University in the Masters of Fraud and Forensics program in the course MFF715, Forensic Research and Analysis, I have been exposed many readings that have broadened my understanding of what research exactly is. Dan Ariely’s “The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty” is by far my favorite reading in this course. Ariely’s ability to relate such large and broad issues to day to day activities such as carrying knock off purses really helped to put everything into perspective from the first day. Ariely had a way of presenting the facts in an unusual yet entertaining way that kept me interested. The importance of the scientific method and the use of scientific evidence is immeasurable.
The use of case studies and “real world” happenings kept the research interesting. I enjoyed being able to read about actual fraud and past experiences. Facts and findings are far more beneficial and useful than experiments and expectations.
The most important thing I will take from this course is the ability to conduct my research in a scientific way. Differentiating between hunches, intuition and facts and material free of bias will be very helpful in all of my future schooling and “real world” work.
The largest hurdle and challenge of this entire program is the entirely online environment. Initially this was very appealing to me as I work and live a hectic schedule. What I wasn’t thinking is that so does everyone else in the program. Working in a group of five people was not easy entirely online. Threads in the conversations often got hard to follow, ideas got lost in the havoc and five schedules and opinions is not easy to balance.
In total, I very much so enjoyed all of the learning I have done in the past five weeks and am looking forward to the rest of the program. I embrace the idea of becoming a CFE and will continue to work hard to get there.
I am a student in the Carlow University Masters of Science in Fraud and Forensics I recently completed MFF715 Forensic Research and Analysis in 2012 and worked on the topical area of fraud detection. I liked MFF715 because of way the course was broken down into prevention, detection, and investigation, with particular groups focusing on one of the three areas. I feel that this course enlightened me to the facts that there is research behind practically everything, and you should not always take someone’s work solely based on their credentials. I liked how the work that was completed in this course is not just for our benefit, but that our findings would be helping our, soon to be, colleagues.
The greatest challenge I found in this course is being able to communicate with your group members. Being this course is online; it is rather difficult to communicate with group members on projects that are time sensitive. The evidence-based recommendations pose challenging to me because I never did anything like this before. Also the structure of this five week course makes it difficult to dig deeper to find different types of scientific evidence.
This course will prepare me, and already has changed my view on the world around me. In my future career in fraud and forensics I will reflect back to this course and remember from the books we read on techniques to identify dishonest behavior by Ariely, also by knowing the implications of my future testimony as an expert witness. Garrett’s book Convicting the Innocent will keep my testimony on scientific evidence regardless of my bias in the case. Most importantly, I will not be satisfied with answers I am given and will dig deeper.
I have taken MFF715: Forensic Research and Analysis, Online, Fall 2012 and worked on the topical area of Fraud Detection.
What I liked about the course is the how assumptions, myths, education and experience, is not the same as scientific evidence. I learned how confessions can be contaminated by the police department and prosecution and how so many defendants have been wrongly accused and convicted due to flawed and erroneous forensics.
At first, it was challenging trying to build a manuscript for the Fraud Magazine and developing a set of quiz questions for FraudIQ in Journal of Accountancy, but after the third week I began to recognize and understand how the manuscript created with my team can serve as a great tool in fraud detection. Another challenge was finding information to support each recommendation with scientific evidence.
I have learned a lot in the class, for example, how people will cheat a little and will rationalize why they cheat. The more one rationalize it appears the more they cheat. As I prepare for my professional career I will feel confident in knowing that because someone has the experience and education and are considered and expert witness does not equate to scientific evidence. This course has helped me gained a clear understanding of flawed evidence, concealment, and how the court system fail to verify the reliability and validity of evidence entered into the courtroom. I will use this course as a tool when preparing to investigate fraud knowing there are three sides to every testimony: prosecution, defense, and scientific evidence!
I am currently wrapping up my class in Fraud Research/Analysis in Carlow University’s Masters of Science in Fraud and Forensics. In the course, we were tasked with working within a small group to design an article on fraud detection. Our group opted to design a brief detection program which could work for large and small organizations. While we struggled a bit to arrive on the right path, once we figured out which way to go, we (in my opinion) produced a great article.
I truly believe that this course pushed me to be a better student and researcher. As we move forward in the program, I feel that the skills gained within this class will have a positive impact on my future research papers.
One of the challenges I found of the course was the melding of some of the weeks reading assingments into our weekly team assignment. I felt that the readings would have been more beneficial to an individual assignment, and the research paper could have been left to the teams to determine what was the best resource for the paper. An example would be the Ariely book The Honesty Truth About Dishonesty. While the book was a good read, and applicable to the overall theme of the course, I would not have tried to use it in our team paper.
As I move forward in my career, I believe this course will be a great foundation for ensuring I understand how to research correctly, as well as how to recognize sound scientific research.