Fraud is a major threat facing small and midsize businesses. While audits aren’t designed to uncover fraud, they can help business owners identify anomalies and deter would-be fraudsters. Recent findings from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) underscore the important role audits play, together with other controls, in a broader fraud prevention strategy.
Recent ACFE study
External audits can be effective antifraud controls. The ACFE’s Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations analyzed 2,402 occupational fraud cases across 143 countries. Consistent with previous studies, the latest version of the ACFE’s report estimates that organizations lose approximately 5% of their annual revenue to occupational fraud. The study also found that a typical fraud scheme lasts 12 months before it’s detected.
More than half of the cases in the 2026 study involved either a lack of internal controls or management overriding existing controls. However, respondents with strong antifraud controls — such as external financial statement audits, management review, proactive data monitoring and surprise audits — generally experienced lower fraud losses and detected fraud more quickly than organizations without those safeguards.
Limits on audit assurance
The purpose of an audit isn’t to detect fraud. Instead, it provides an express opinion about whether the financial statements are fairly presented, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or another comprehensive basis of accounting.
An audit provides a reasonable level of assurance that the business’s financial statements are free from material misstatement and conform with GAAP. However, external audits don’t provide guarantees against intentional financial statement fraud or inadvertent errors.
The role audits play in fraud detection
Auditors play a crucial role in supporting the integrity of financial reporting. Here’s how certain audit procedures may help reveal suspicious activity and identify weaknesses in your business’s controls.
Risk assessments. These assessments identify high-risk areas for misstatement or errors. They help direct the auditors’ attention to the accounts and transactions that warrant more rigorous audit procedures. Auditors analyze the business’s operations, financial reporting processes, internal controls and industry environment to pinpoint potential risks. Then they develop audit plans focusing on these areas.
Audit fieldwork. Auditors perform various procedures during fieldwork to help them detect discrepancies that may indicate fraudulent activity. For example, they may test certain financial transactions and account balances to verify their accuracy and completeness. They may also examine supporting documentation, such as invoices, contracts and bank statements, to ensure that transactions are legitimate and properly recorded. And they might confirm accounts receivable, review pending litigation and physically observe year-end inventory counts. Auditors customize their procedures to fit each business’s risk assessment.
Auditors are trained to recognize the warning signs of fraud, including unusual transactions, inconsistencies in financial records and deviations from standard procedures. When auditors identify red flags, they may ask questions and conduct additional audit procedures to help ensure the financial statements are fairly presented and conform to GAAP.
Financial reporting compliance. Businesses must comply with a wide range of laws and regulations, including those related to financial reporting, taxes and corporate governance. Auditors consider laws and regulations that could have a material effect on the financial statements and may identify issues that warrant management’s attention or further review.
A stronger defense
No organization is immune to fraud. But an external audit can help reduce your business’s risk by examining financial reporting procedures, evaluating internal controls and identifying potential warning signs before they become larger problems. If you have questions about your business’s fraud risks or you’d like to discuss our audit and forensic accounting services, contact us. We can help you build a stronger fraud prevention strategy and investigate any suspicious activity.
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