Update: March 2020
Photo by  Johannes Plenio  on  Unsplash
22nd Annual Fraud Conference
Registration Open
The brochure includes the speaker list, session schedule and conference pricing.

There is a truly impressive line up of speakers this year, with topics for everyone.

There are great discounts available for early birds, members, affiliates and groups of five or more. These discounts are cumulative and also apply to applicants for the CFI/CFT and affiliation. You do not want to miss out on these deep discounts.

Sponsored by:
Conference Sneak Peaks
“Parables for Experts”

Jack Blackier FCA, DIFA, LLM – Partner, Cox & Palmer
Peter Wells – Retired Partner, McMillan LLP
Many years ago, shortly after Thomas J. Watson founded IBM, one of his executives made a serious error that cost IBM $100,000. This was at a time when that was a very substantial sum of money. An acquaintance of Watson’s knew of the incident, and asked why Watson hadn’t fired the executive. “Fire him?” Watson exclaimed “I just invested $100,000 in his education!”

It’s one thing to be forced to learn from one’s own mistakes, but it is less painful to learn from the mistakes of others. The presenters will share some (mostly) true stories of expert evidence and the lessons to be taken from them.
“Reliability of Non-Verbal Communication During Fraud Investigation Interviews”

Murad Tirmizey CPA, CGA, MFAcc, CFE - Senior Consultant, Forensic - KPMG LLP
When forensic accountants conduct interviews to investigate fraudulent activity, can they use nonverbal cues as a reliable way of detecting when interview subjects are lying?

To answer this question, I will be examining law enforcement interviewing techniques, an area where nonverbal communication has been studied extensively. I will be providing excerpts from the primary textbook used by many law enforcement agencies, as well as explain my research findings from case studies. I will also offer my analysis of this material, as well as that of five experts in the field, gained through personal communication. 
The interviewing techniques are used primarily by law enforcement dealing with murder, arson, theft and rape. However, these interviewing techniques can be applied by forensic accountants dealing with different high-stakes crimes, such as financial statement fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and employee theft. 

I conclude in my presentation that forensic accountants should not rely upon nonverbal cues of deception in an interview to extract information during a fraud investigation for the following reasons:
  1. There is no scientific proof that identifying them is reliable or valid, based on my research of case studies. 
  2. Teaching nonverbal cues of deception based on someone’s experiences can be misleading. His/her experience needs to be properly documented to show what cues were given when and that the behaviors were properly coded by at least two independent observers. I have not seen this process followed, based on my research.  
  3. A subject’s nonverbal cues may be impacted by interviewing style and the personality of the interviewer. This makes determining what a subject’s behavioral cue means very difficult.
“The Shallowest of Men”

Jeff Filliter CFE – President - J. R. Filliter Investigative Services
"The Shallowest of Men', is a book written by the presenter that details the journey through a six-year criminal investigation in Mexico, Europe, the U.S. and beyond. This is a true story and the investigation was conducted personally by the presenter. The investigation involved murder, fraud, multi-jurisdictional money laundering, and corruption at the highest level of government. The presentation will walk you through the investigative process, the obstacles that were encountered along the way, and the resulting successes and failures.

“Through the Looking Glass: Protecting Yourself While Conducting Internet-Based Investigations”

Ryan Duquette CFE, CFCE, EnCD, MCFE, LPI – Partner, RSM Canada
“Through the looking glass” is a metaphorical expression meaning: on the strange side, in the twilight zone, or in a strange parallel world. While the internet can be considered a strange, parallel world, it can also be an informative, interesting, yet scary place when conducting different types of investigations. There are various technologies and methods that investigators can use to protect their identity and their own information while conducting various internet-based investigations. This presentation will showcase and illustrate these technologies and methods in order to keep investigators safe.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify some of the methods criminals use to find your data
  • Compare various technologies and software tools to protect your identity while investigating online
  • Examine various methods to employ to hide your own tracks

Current Career Opportunities
Field Investigator – WorkSafe BC – Richmond, BC

Apply by March 26, 2020

Our Investigations Division is seeking a service-oriented team player to work with case managers and occupational health and safety professionals with a focus on investigating fraud and misrepresentation. Based in our Richmond office, you’ll conduct investigations involving misrepresentation that undermines   More
Upcoming Events
ACFE 2020 FIT Conference - Toronto, ON
ACFE GTA
April 2, 2020 - BMO IFL
7 CPD credits

New & emerging trends in fraud investigation   ...   More
Call for Articles - Have you been involved in an interesting case? Are you aware of issues in the field for which broader exposure would be useful to your colleagues and others within our wider network of individuals involved in forensic investigation? We would appreciate receiving your articles for inclusion here and on our website. We invite you to review past articles that have appeared in our newsletter - Articles of Interest