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Forensic Accountant

Investigates financial crimes — fraud, embezzlement, money laundering — by tracing money trails.

Did you know?

Gangster Al Capone was convicted in 1931 of tax evasion, not murder, after Treasury agent and former accountant Frank Wilson traced his hidden income.

How subjects help

A famous name

Frank J. Wilson: Treasury agent whose study of Al Capone's money records helped convict him of tax evasion in 1931.

Try it yourself: Find the mistake in the accounts

  1. Add up the costs yourself. Does your total match the one written down?
  2. Look at the receipt numbers. Has anything been counted twice?
  3. Check every item against the rule on the card. Does anything break it?
  4. Write a short, polite note explaining what you found and what should be fixed.

Auditors, tax advisers and compliance officers check records against the real receipts and the rules, and explain clearly what needs fixing.

Also try: Solve the case of the missing biscuit.

Known for it in

USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India

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