Financial tracing: Show me the money

David Zweighaft, CPA/CFF, is a co-author of this quarter’s Eye on Fraud report, focused on financial tracing.

Zweighaft joined the Journal of Accountancy podcast to discuss details in the report and share stories from his more than 30 years of experience in the field of forensic accounting.

The discussion delves into particulars of the quarterly report and mentions an infamous municipal fraud case, which was one topic mentioned in a 2023 JofA podcast episode.

Resources

n  FVS Section home page

n  CFF credential information page

n  Eye on Fraud report for the first quarter of 2025

n  Understanding the Forensic Technology Landscape

What you’ll learn from this episode:

·         Zweighaft’s definition of financial tracing.

·         Why human skills such as interviewing can be differentiators even as technology speeds up some tasks.

·         Some of the core accounting and auditing skills that apply to financial tracing.

·         The difference between direct and indirect financial tracing.

·         Details of the United States v. Melissa King case, a focus of the Eye on Fraud article Zweighaft co-wrote.

·         The value of hearing other professionals’ stories in financial tracing.