Advanced Occupational Diploma: Fraud Examiner

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to prepare a learner to function as a Fraud Examiner.

A Fraud examiner investigates suspicious activity that may indicate fraud or fraud risk by conducting forensic audits, reviewing documents, and interviewing suspects of suspected theft, corruption, conspiracy, embezzlement, money laundering, bribery and extortion. They investigate, detect, prevent and deter financial and other information fraudulent activities.

A qualified learner will be able to

• Create and establish an anti-fraud culture.
• Monitor and advise on legal elements of fraud investigation.
• Apply processes and techniques to detect, prevent and deter fraud through the critical review and evaluation of information.
• Investigate fraud schemes in the occupational environment.
• Present and communicate fraud findings effectively to a range of audiences.

The qualification can open doors to various career opportunities, including roles as fraud investigators, forensic accountants, compliance officers, or internal auditors. It enables learners to pursue opportunities in different countries and regions and access a vast network of professionals in the field of fraud examination and forensic accounting. This network provides opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, facilitating professional growth and development. Qualified learners are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards, integrity, professionalism, credibility and trustworthiness but also prepares them to uphold ethical standards throughout their careers.

A qualified learner will demonstrate the following key attributes

• Analytical.
• Critical.
• Meticulous.
• Verbal and written communication.
• Ethical.
• Objective.
• Unbiased.
• Honest/Faithful.
• Reliable.
• Investigative.
• Conscious.

Rationale

The National Development Plan - 2030, states that high corruption levels frustrate society's ability to operate fairly and efficiently, and the state's ability to deliver on its development mandate and that the level of corruption increased involves both public and private sector participants. The perception of high levels of malfeasance at senior levels of government makes the fight against corruption that much harder. Learners will contribute to objectives set in the National Development Plan - 2030 in combating fraud and corruption in the public and private sectors. Learners will be able to understand and communicate the effects of fraud and/or corruption on services and will be able to introduce mechanisms to investigate and report fraud and corruption cases.

The report states further that corruption must be fought on three fronts: deterrence, prevention, and education. Deterrence helps people understand that they are likely to get caught and punished. Prevention is about systems (information, audit and so on) that make it hard to engage in corrupt acts. The social dimensions of corruption need to be tackled by focusing on values, through education. The anti-corruption system requires qualified and competent fraud examiners across all organisations who are trained in sophisticated investigative techniques to ensure that cases are well investigated and presented for prosecution.

The Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey states that surveys are regularly carried out to estimate the true scale and cost of fraud to business and society. Findings vary, and it is difficult to obtain a complete picture of the full extent of the fraud, but these surveys indicate that fraud is prevalent within organisations and remains a serious and costly problem. The risks of fraud may only be increasing due to growing globalisation, more competitive markets, rapid developments in technology, and periods of economic difficulty.

The prevention of fraud and corrupt activities will increase the government's ability to deliver services and achieve intended outcomes. Money and services that are diverted away from those who need it, can be channelled to intended services. This qualification is intended to develop and improve capacity and expertise in the areas of fraud detection, prevention, and deterrence.

This qualification will enhance sector integrity by identifying and addressing fraudulent activities within organisations. Expertise in fraud detection, prevention, and investigation helps safeguard assets, maintain trust, and protect stakeholders' interests. This qualification equips learners with specialised skills to mitigate fraud risks effectively. The knowledge of fraud schemes, internal controls, and investigative techniques enables learners to proactively identify vulnerabilities and implement measures to prevent fraud, reducing financial losses and reputational damage for organisations. This shall reduce the cost of fraud borne by society as encountered, in both the private and public sectors. The qualification will help contribute to the pursuit of justice and accountability by uncovering fraudulent behaviour, gathering evidence, and supporting legal proceedings. The efforts would help hold perpetrators accountable for their actions, deter future fraudulent activities, and uphold ethical standards within society.

Fraud can have significant economic repercussions, impacting businesses, investors, and consumers. By detecting and preventing fraud, qualifying learners of this qualification can help promote economic stability by preserving assets, maintaining investor confidence, and fostering trust in financial markets. The building of capacity through this qualification can result in cost savings for organisations and the economy as a whole. By identifying and addressing fraud early on, they will help minimise financial losses, reduce litigation expenses, and prevent reputational harm, ultimately contributing to the overall efficiency and sustainability of the economy.

Typical learners to the qualification are those who hold qualifications and or are employed in the following fields

• Accounting and Auditing: financial analysts, forensic accountants, forensic auditors.
• Criminology and Sociology: ethics officers, investigative journalists.
• Fraud Investigation: law enforcement officers, private investigators, corporate investigators, security officers, data analysts, service security analysts.
• Loss Prevention: risk managers.
• Law: legal practitioners, compliance officers.

This qualification meets the requirements for registration of a professional designation with the professional body.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL for Access

• Learners may use the RPL process to gain access to training opportunities for a qualification if they do not meet the formal, minimum entry requirements for admission.
• RPL assessment provides an alternative access route into a programme of qualification. Such an RPL assessment may be developed, moderated and conducted by the accredited Skills Development Provider which offers that specific qualification. Such an assessment must ensure that the learner is able to display the equivalent level of competencies required for access, based on the NQF level descriptors.

RPL for exemption from modules

learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a qualification through any means of formal, informal or non-formal learning and/or work experience, may be awarded credits towards relevant modules, and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded.

RPL for Access to the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA)

• Learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a qualification through any means of formal, informal or non-formal learning and/or work experience, may be awarded credits towards relevant modules, and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded.
• A valid Statement of Results is required for admission to the EISA in which confirmation of achievement is provided that all internal assessment criteria for all modules in the related curriculum document have been achieved.

Upon successful completion of the EISA, RPL learners will be issued with the QCTO certificate for the qualification. Quality Partners are responsible for ensuring the RPL mechanism and process for qualifications is approved by the QCTO.

Entry Requirements

• An NQF Level 6 qualification in Administration/ Accounting/ Auditing/ Criminology/ Law or related.

This qualification is made up of compulsory Knowledge, Practical Skill and Work Experience Modules

Knowledge Modules

• 242215-000-00-KM-01, Fraud Prevention and Deterrence, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-KM-02, Law and Legal Fraud Principles, Level 7, 30 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-KM-03, Fraud Investigation Techniques, Level 7, 25 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-KM-04, Financial Transactions and Fraud Schemes, Level 7, 35 Credits.

Total number of credits for Knowledge Modules: 100.

Practical Skill Modules

• 242215-000-00-PM-01, Establish an Anti-Fraud Culture in an Organisation, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-02, Investigate Financial Statement Fraud, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-03, Investigate Asset Misappropriation Fraud Schemes, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-04, Investigate Corruption, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-05, Investigate Industry-Specific Fraud Schemes, Level 7, 20 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-06, Investigate Theft of Identity, Data and Intellectual Property, Level 7, 5 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-07, Apply Fraud Investigation Techniques, Level 7, 20 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-PM-08, Apply Legal Principles in Fraud Investigations, Level 7, 10 Credits.

Total number of credits for Practical Skill Modules: 95.

Work Experience Modules

• 242215-000-00-WM-01, Establish an Anti-Fraud Organisational Culture, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-WM-02, Develop a Fraud Management Plan, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-WM-03, Apply Legal Principles to Examinations, Level 7, 10 Credits.
• 242215-000-00-WM-04, Conduct Fraud Investigations, Level 7, 30 Credits.

Total number of credits for Work Experience Modules: 60.

1. Create and establish an anti-fraud culture to prevent and deter fraud.
2. Apply legal elements related to affixing blame as a result of fraud investigations.
3. Analyse financial transactions and fraud schemes in the occupational environment.
4. Investigate and report on fraud findings.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

ELO 1: Create and establish an anti-fraud culture to prevent and deter fraud.

• Analyse and discuss the complexities and uncertainties of why people commit fraud and ways to prevent it.
• Draw on multiple criminology concepts such as administration of criminal justice, theories of crime causation, white-collar crime and occupational fraud to evaluate specific fraud-related scenarios.
• Apply theories of fraud prevention and fraud risk assessment to specific organisational contexts.
• Review information gathering, synthesis of data, evaluation and management processes in specialised contexts to develop creative responses to problems and issues related to crime information sources and related ethical issues.
• Reflect on the suitability of underlying ethics of fraud examination profession in specific contexts.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

ELO 2: Apply legal elements related to affixing blame as a result of fraud investigations.

• Analyse, compare, discuss and apply the many legal ramifications of conducting fraud examinations by offering creative insights, rigorous interpretations and solutions to problems and issues appropriate to given contexts.
• Resolve complex legal issues related to criminal and civil law, rules of evidence, rights of the accused and accuser, and expert witness matters using methods appropriate to a given scenario.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

ELO 3: Analyse financial transactions and fraud schemes in the occupational environment.

• Discuss and apply fundamental accounting concepts and auditing theories to analyse information critically, synthesise data, and assess procedures to identify various kinds of fraudulent transactions.
• Analyse and address fraud schemes by drawing systematically on the appropriate body of knowledge.
• Select and apply or transfer appropriate standard procedures, processes or techniques to unfamiliar problems related to internal controls to deter fraud.
• Discuss, compare and analyse various types of financial transactions including but not limited to sales, purchases, expenses, investments, loans, and transfers.
• Discuss, compare and analyse common fraud schemes such as billing schemes, corruption, payment tampering, payroll fraud, skimming, and financial statement fraud.
• Discuss, compare and analyse industry-specific types of fraud.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

ELO 4: Investigate and report on fraud findings.

• Select and apply appropriate investigation procedures, processes or techniques (Range: conducting of interviews, taking of statements, obtaining and analysing information from public records, tracking of illicit transactions, determining and evaluating deception).
• Present and communicate the findings of an investigation in a report, offering creative insights, rigorous interpretations and solutions to problems and issues appropriate to the context.

Integrated Assessment

Integrated Formative Assessment

The Skills Development Providers will use the curriculum to guide them on the stipulated internal assessment criteria and weighting. They will also apply the scope of practical skills and applied knowledge as stipulated by the internal assessment criteria. This formative assessment leads to entrance into the integrated External Summative Assessment.

Integrated Summative Assessment

An External Integrated Summative Assessment, conducted through the relevant QCTO Assessment Quality Partner is required to issue this qualification. The External Integrated Summative Assessment will focus on the Exit Level Outcomes and Associated Assessment Criteria. Additional to the written assessment the learner must also submit a portfolio of evidence compiled of outcomes achieved in the workplace.