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Audit mistakes
Feb 09

Audit Mistakes: Seven Deadly Sins

By Charles Hall | Auditing

Seven deadly audit sins can destroy you. These audit mistakes kill your profits and effectiveness.

You just completed an audit project, and you have another significant write-down. Last year’s audit hours came in well over budget, and—at the time—you thought, This will not happen again. But here it is, and it’s driving you insane.

Insanity: doing the same thing year after year but expecting different results.

Are you ready for better results?

Audit Mistakes

Here are seven deadly (audit) sins that cause our engagements to fail.

Audit mistakes

1. We don’t plan

Rolling over the prior year file does not qualify as planning. Using canned audit programs is not planning.

What do I mean? We don’t know what has changed. Why? Because we have not performed real risk assessment such as current year walkthroughs. We have not (really) thought about current year risks of material misstatement.

Each year, audits have new wrinkles.

Are there any fraud rumors? Has the CFO left without explanation? Have cash balances decreased while profits increased? Does the client have a new accounting program or new staff? Can you still obtain the reports you need? Are there any new audit or accounting standards?

Anticipate issues and be ready for them with a real audit plan.

2. SALY lives

Elvis may not be in the house, but SALY is.

Performing the same audit steps is wasteful. Just because we needed the procedure ten years ago does not mean we need it today. Kill SALY. (No, I don’t mean your staff member; SALY stands for Same As Last Year).

I find that audit files are like closets. We allow old thoughts (clothes) to accumulate without purging. It’s high time for a Goodwill visit. After all, this audit mistake has been with you too long. So ask yourself Are all of the prior audit procedures relevant to this year’s engagement?

Will better planning require us to think more in the early phases of the engagement? Yes. Is this hard work? Yes. Will it result in less overall effort? Yes.

Sometimes the Saly issue occurs because of weak staff.

3. We use weak staff

Staffing your engagement is the primary key to project success. Excellent staff makes a challenging engagement pan out well. Poor staff causes your engagement time to balloon–lots of motion, but few results. Maybe you have smart people, but they need training. Consider AuditSense.

Another audit mistake is weak partner involvement.

4. We don’t monitor

Partners must keep an eye on the project. And I don’t mean just asking, “How’s it going?” Look in the audit file. See what is going on. In-charges will usually tell you what you want to hear. They hope to save the job on the final play, but a Hail Mary often results in a lost game.

As Ronald Reagan once said: Trust but verify.

Engagement partners need to lead and monitor. They also need to provide the right technology tools.

5. We use outdated technology

Are you paperless? Using portable scanners and monitors? Are your auditors well versed in Adobe Acrobat? Are you electronically linking your trial balances to Excel documents? Do you use project management software (e.g., Basecamp)? How about conferencing software (e.g., Zoom)? Do you have secure remote access to audit files? Do you store files securely in the cloud (e.g., Box)? Are you using data mining software such as Idea? Do you send electronic confirmations

Do your staff members fear you so much that they don’t give you the bad news?

6. Staff (intentionally) hide problems

Remind your staff that bad news communicated early is always welcome.

Early communication of bad news should be encouraged and rewarded (yes, rewarded, assuming the employee did not cause the problem).

Sometimes leaders unwittingly cause their staff to hide problems. In the past, we may have gone ballistic on them–now they fear the same.

And here’s one last audit mistake: no post-engagement review.

7. No post-engagement review

Once our audit is complete, we should honestly assess the project. Then make a list of inefficiencies or failures for future reference.

If you are a partner, consider a fifteen-minute meeting with staff to go over the list.

Your ideas to overcome audit mistakes

What do you do to keep your audits within budget?

accountants use ChatGPT
Jul 04

Why Accountants Use ChatGPT (or should be)

By Charles Hall | Technology

Accountants use ChatGPT—or if not, they should be. The old way of Googling for information is not the most efficient way to find answers. In this article, you’ll see why. 

As an accountant, you’ve used search engines such as Google to look for answers. But you may not have used a chatbot such as ChatGPT.

While search engines are helpful, you can turbocharge your searches for information by using ChatGPT and its plugins (more in a moment). It’s somewhat like conversing with the Internet.

Additionally, ChatGPT was trained with web information, so it can draw upon that knowledge to provide answers to you without even "searching" the Internet. The training cut-off was September 2021. So, if ChatGPT uses only the training information, you may not obtain current information (that was placed on the Internet after September 2021).

But you can supplement the training information with with current information by using ChatGPT plugins such as WebPilot. Below I explain how. 

First, I'll start with an explanation of search engines, and then we'll move to how ChatGPT enhances your ability to find accounting answers. 

Accountants use ChatGPT

Search Engine

A search engine is a software system designed to conduct web searches, which means searching the World Wide Web systematically for certain information specified in a textual search query. The search engine provides a list of results, often called search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Examples of search engines include:

  • Google
  • Bing  
  • Yahoo

Crawling the Web

Search engines constantly crawl the web with spiderbots looking for changes, such as a new lease accounting article on my website, CPAHallTalk.com. When a search engine (e.g., Google) finds differences, it updates its index (catalog of all data)--often within hours after the website adds the information.

Accountant's Search Example

Googling involves your reviewing the list of articles that you might visit and your choosing one. 

As an accountant, you’ve keyed in Google search terms such as ASC 842, Leases. The search engine provides you with a list of web articles that might be useful. After that (if you're like me), you click several links looking for the information you want, but the results are lacking. For example, you may want the wording for a lease disclosure, but you can't find one. 

Chatbots Like ChatGPT

ChatGPT uses its training information and plugins to provide answers to you. It feels more like a conversation (than reviewing a list): you give it a prompt and it provides an answer. 

As an example, you might tell ChatGPT: 

Please provide an example of an operating lease disclosure using ASC 842, including future payments, discount rates, lease terms, and weighted average information. Also, tell me how to compute the weighted average details.

ChatGPT can provide the requested information (a sample lease note) and respond to your request for information about computing weighted averages. 

But how does it do so?

ChatGPT-4: Obtaining Sources with Plugins

When you ask ChatGPT for a sample disclosure, it visits web pages using plugins like WebPilot, asking if the requested information is available. If CPAHallTalk.com's article has a sample lease disclosure, it can leverage that information in providing the example you requested. 

If my lease article doesn't explain how to compute weighted average lease information, ChatGPT will search other websites. Once it finds the solution, it includes the computational directions in responding to your request. 

WebPilot can provide sources of the information such as URLs, but you may need to tell ChatGPT that you want sources. (Simply say, "provide sources.") Then you can click the source and read the article. (One downside to ChatGPT is it often gives you answers without sources. I want to see the source so I can assess whether it is reliable.)

As an example, I typed "provide a summary of ASC 842 with sources" into ChatGPT-4, using the WebPilot plugin: the answer was as follows:

WebPilot response

ChatGPT's ability to provide current information is dependent on the specific web pages it is directed to visit. It does not have the ability to independently search the internet or stay updated with new information.

ChatGPT-4: Obtaining Sources without Plugins

Additionally, ChatGPT-4 can use its training information to respond and provide sources. As an example, I typed "provide a summary of ASC 842 with sources" into ChatGPT-4 without using a plugin: the answer was as follows:

ChatGPT response
The combination of plugins and ChatGPT-4 is a powerful way for this software to provide you with the answers and sources you need.
Reasoning engine
In conclusion, while a search engine like Google is a wonderful tool, ChatGPT can provide a more powerful, intelligent, and efficient way of retrieving and processing information.

As always, you want to verify the information you obtain to ensure its integrity and accuracy. Why? Because errors can occur in the responses you receive from ChatGPT. 

So, ChatGPT is an aide but not a replacement for traditional research and information verification methods. 

ChatGPT Video

To see ChatGPT in use, watch the following basics video. 
Auditing Receivables and Revenues
Mar 23

What You Need to Know About Auditing Receivables & Revenues

By Charles Hall | Auditing

Today we take a look at auditing receivables and revenues.

Revenues are the lifeblood of any organization. Without cash inflows, the entity may cease to exist. So, it’s important that each business generate sales or some type of revenue. For you, the auditor, it’s important to verify the revenue.

Along with revenues, auditors need to prove receivables. Why? Some companies manipulate their earnings by inflating their period-end receivables.  When trade receivables increase, revenues increase. So, a company can increase its net income by recording nonexistent receivables.

In this post, we’ll answer questions such as, “should I confirm receivables or examine subsequent receipts?” and “why should I assume that revenues are overstated?”

Auditing Receivables and Revenues

How to Audit Receivables and Revenues — An Overview

In this post, we will cover the following:

  1. Primary accounts receivable and revenue assertions
  2. Accounts receivable and revenue walkthrough
  3. Directional risk for accounts receivable and revenues
  4. Primary risks for accounts receivable and revenues
  5. Common accounts receivable and revenue control deficiencies
  6. Risk of material misstatement for accounts receivable and revenues
  7. Substantive procedures for accounts receivable and revenues
  8. Common accounts receivable and revenue work papers

Primary Assertions

First, let’s look at assertions.

YouTube player

 

The primary relevant accounts receivable and revenue assertions are:

  • Existence and occurrence
  • Completeness
  • Accuracy
  • Valuation
  • Cutoff

Of these assertions, I believe—in general—existence (of receivables), occurrence (of revenues) and valuation (of receivables) are most important. So, clients assert that:

  • Receivables exist
  • Receivables are properly valued, and
  • Revenues occurred

Accuracy comes into play if the customer has complex receivable transactions. Additionally, the cutoff assertion is often relevant, especially if the client has incentives to inflate the receivables balance (e.g., bonuses triggered at certain income levels).

When auditing receivables and revenues, consider these assertions.

Accounts Receivable and Revenue Walkthrough

Second, think about performing your risk assessment work in light of the relevant assertions.

As we perform walkthroughs of accounts receivable and revenue, we are looking for ways they are overstated (though they can also be understated as well). We are asking, “What can go wrong, whether intentionally or by mistake?”

Revenue walkthrough

In performing accounts receivable and revenue walkthroughs, ask questions such as:

  • Are receivables subsidiary ledgers reconciled to the general ledger?
  • Is a consistent allowance methodology used?
  • What method is used to compute the allowance and is it reasonable?
  • Who records and approves the allowance?
  • Who reviews aged receivables?
  • What controls ensure that revenues are recorded in the right period?
  • Is there adequate segregation of duties between persons recording, billing, and collecting payments? Who reconciles the related records?
  • What software is used to track billings and collections?
  • Are there any decentralized collection locations?
  • When are revenues recognized and is the recognition in accordance with the reporting framework?
  • What receivables and revenue reports are provided to the owners or the governing body?

As we ask questions, we also inspect documents (e.g., aged receivable reports) and make observations (e.g., who collects the payments?).

If controls weaknesses exist, we create audit procedures to respond to them. For example, if—during the walkthrough—we see inconsistent allowance methods, we will perform more substantive work to prove the allowance balances.

Directional Risk for Accounts Receivable and Revenues

Third, consider directional risk when auditing receivables and revenues.

How to audit receivables

The directional risk for accounts receivable and revenue is an overstatement. So, in performing your audit procedures, perform procedures to ensure that accounts receivables and revenues are not overstated. For example, review the cutoff procedures at period-end. Be sure that no subsequent period revenues are recorded in the current fiscal year. 

Audit standards require that auditors review estimates for management bias. So, consider the current year allowance and bad debt write-offs in light of the prior year allowance. This retrospective review allows the auditor to see if the current estimate is fair. The threat is that management might reduce allowances to inflate earnings.

Moreover, the audit standards state there is a presumption (unless rebutted) that revenues are overstated. Therefore, we are to assume revenues are overstated, unless we can explain why they are not.

Primary Risks for Accounts Receivable and Revenues

Fourth, think about the risks related to receivables and revenues.

The main risks are:

  1. The company intentionally overstates accounts receivable and revenue 
  2. Company employees steal collections 
  3. Without proper cutoff, an overstatement of accounts receivables and revenue occurs 
  4. Allowances are understated
  5. Revenue recognition

Risks related to revenue also vary from company to company. For example, one telecommunications company might sell bundled services while another may not. Revenue recognition is more complex (risky) for the company selling bundled services.

Also, revenue risks vary from industry to industry. For example, the allowance for uncollectible is normally a high risk area for healthcare entities, but may not be so for other industries.

Common Accounts Receivable and Revenue Control Deficiencies

Fifth, think about the control deficiencies noted during your walkthroughs and other risk assessment work.

In smaller entities, the following control deficiencies are common:

  • One person performs one or more of the following: 
    • bills customers
    • receipts monies
    • makes deposits 
    • records those payments in the general ledger
    • reconciles the related bank account
  • The person computing allowances doesn’t possess sufficient knowledge to do so correctly
  • No surprise audits of receivables and revenues 
  • Multiple people work from one cash drawer
  • Receipts are not appropriately issued
  • Receipts are not reconciled to daily collections
  • Daily receipts are not reviewed by a second person
  • No one reconciles subsidiary receivable ledgers to the general ledger
  • Individuals with the ability to adjust customer receivable accounts (with no second-person approval or review) also collect cash 
  • Inconsistent bad debt recognition with no second-person review process
  • The revenue recognition policy may not be clear and may not be in accordance with the reporting framework

Risk of Material Misstatement for Accounts Receivable and Revenues

Sixth, now it’s time to assess your risks.

In smaller engagements, I usually assess control risk at high for each assertion. Controls must be tested to support any lower control risk assessments. Assessing risks at high is often more efficient than testing controls.

When control risk is assessed at high, inherent risk becomes the driver of the risk of material misstatement (inherent risk X control risk = risk of material misstatement). The assertions that concern me the most (those with higher inherent risks) are existence, occurrence, and valuation. So my RMM for these assertions is usually moderate to high.

My response to higher risk assessments is to perform certain substantive procedures: namely, receivable confirmations and tests of subsequent collections. As RMM increases, I send more confirmations and examine more subsequent collections.

Additionally, I thoroughly test management’s allowance computation. I pay particular attention to uncollected amounts beyond 90 days. Uncollected amounts beyond 90 days should usually be heavily reserved. And amounts beyond 120 days should—generally—be fully reserved.  

Substantive Procedures

And finally, it’s time to determine your substantive procedures in light of your identified risks.

how to audit receivables

My customary audit procedures when auditing receivables and revenues are as follows:

  1. Confirm accounts receivable balances (especially larger amounts)
  2. Vouch subsequent period collections, making sure the subsequent collections relate to the period-end balances (sampling can be used)
  3. Thoroughly review allowance computations to see if they are consistent with prior years; compare allowance percentages to industry averages; agree to supporting documentation (e.g., histories of uncollectible amounts); recompute the related numbers
  4. Create comparative summaries of all significant revenue accounts, comparing the current year amounts with historical data (three or more years if possible)
  5. Create summaries of average per customer income and compare with prior years (you may want to do this by specific revenue categories)
  6. Compute average profit margins by sales categories and compare with previous years

Additionally, I add extended procedures to my audit program if there are high risks of material misstatement such as significant risks. For example, if a company sells bundled goods, I test how the company apportions the revenue recognition. Or if there are no segregation of duties, I add fraud-related procedures such as testing daily cash collections. The additional procedures address the root of the identified risks.

Revenue work papers

Common Work Papers

My accounts receivable and revenue work papers frequently include the following:

  • An understanding of accounts receivable and revenue-related internal controls
  • Risk assessment of accounts receivable and revenue at the assertion level
  • Documentation of any control deficiencies
  • Accounts receivable and revenue audit program
  • A detail of receivables comprising amounts on the general ledger
  • Copies of confirmations sent
  • A summary of confirmations received
  • Subsequent collections work papers
  • Allowance work paper
  • Revenue comparison work papers

In Summary

In this chapter, we’ve looked at the following for receivables and revenues:

  • How to perform risk assessment procedures,
  • Relevant assertions,
  • Risk assessments (as a result of the risk assessment procedures), and
  • Substantive procedures

Next, we’ll see how to audit investments.

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auditing cash
Mar 11

Auditing Cash: The Why and How Guide

By Charles Hall | Auditing

Auditing cash tends to be straightforward. We usually just obtain the bank reconciliations and test them. We send confirmations and vouch the outstanding reconciling items to the subsequent month’s bank statement. But are such procedures always adequate? Hardly. 

Recall the Parmalat and ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaning frauds. In those businesses, the theft of cash was covered up with fake bank statements and fake confirmation responses. Millions were lost and reputations we’re sullied.

How to Audit Cash

In this post, we will take a look auditing cash including:

  • Primary cash assertions
  • Cash walkthrough
  • Directional risk for cash
  • Primary risks for cash
  • Common cash control deficiencies
  • Risk of material misstatement for cash
  • Substantive procedures for cash
  • Common cash work papers

Primary Cash Assertions

The primary relevant cash assertions are:

  • Existence
  • Completeness
  • Rights
  • Accuracy
  • Cutoff

 

YouTube player

 

Of these assertions, I believe existence, accuracy, and cutoff are most important. The audit client is asserting that the cash balance exists, that it’s accurate, and that only transactions within the period are included.

Classification is normally not a relevant assertion. Cash is almost always a current asset. But when bank overdrafts occur, classification can be in play. The negative cash balance can be presented as cash or as a payable depending on the circumstances.

Cash Walkthrough

As we perform walkthroughs of cash, we normally look for ways that cash might be overstated (though it can also be understated as well). We are asking, “What can go wrong?” whether intentionally or by mistake.

 

YouTube player

 

In performing cash walkthroughs, ask questions such as:

  • Are timely bank reconciliations performed by competent personnel?
  • Are all bank accounts reconciled?
  • Are the bank reconciliations reviewed by a second person?
  • Are all bank accounts on the general ledger?
  • Are transactions appropriately cut off at period-end (with no subsequent period transactions appearing in the current year)?
  • Is there appropriate segregation between persons handling cash, recording cash, making payments, and  reconciling the bank statements
  • What bank accounts were opened in the period?
  • What bank accounts were closed in the period?
  • Are there any restrictions on the bank accounts?
  • What persons are on the bank signature cards?
  • Who has the authority to open and/or close bank accounts?
  • What is the nature of each bank account (e.g., payroll bank account)?
  • Are there any cash equivalents (e.g., investments of less than three months)
  • Were there any held checks (checks written but unreleased) at period-end?

As we ask questions, we also inspect documents (e.g., bank reconciliations) and make observations (who is doing what?).

If controls weaknesses exist, we create audit procedures to address them. For example, if during the walkthrough we review three monthly bank reconciliations and they all have obvious errors, we will perform more substantive work to prove the year-end bank reconciliation. For example, we might vouch every outstanding deposit and disbursement.

Directional Risk for Cash

What is directional risk in auditing cash? It’s the potential bias that a client has regarding an account balance. A client might desire an overstatement of assets and an understatement of liabilities  since each makes the balance sheet appear healthier.

The directional risk for cash is overstatement. So, in performing your audit procedures, perform procedures such as testing the bank reconciliation to ensure that cash is not overstated.

Primary Risks for Cash

The primary risks are:

  1. Cash is stolen
  2. Cash is intentionally overstated to cover up theft
  3. Not all cash accounts are on the general ledger
  4. Cash is misstated due to errors in the bank reconciliation
  5. Cash is misstated due to improper cutoff

Auditing cash

Common Cash Control Deficiencies

In smaller entities, it is common to have the following control deficiencies:

  • One person receipts and/or disburses monies, records those transactions in the general ledger, and reconciles the related bank accounts
  • The person performing the bank reconciliation does not possess the skill to perform the duty
  • Bank reconciliations are not timely performed

Risk of Material Misstatement for Cash

In my smaller audit engagements, I usually assess control risk at high for each assertion. If control risk is assessed at less than high, then controls must be tested to support the lower risk assessment. Assessing risks at high is usually more efficient than testing controls.

When control risk is assessed at high, inherent risk becomes the driver of the risk of material misstatement (control risk X inherent risk = risk of material misstatement). For example, if control risk is high and inherent risk is moderate, then my RMM is moderate.

The assertions that concern me the most are existence, accuracy, and cutoff. So my RMM for these assertions is usually moderate to high.

My response to higher risk assessments is to perform certain substantive procedures: namely, bank confirmations and testing of the bank reconciliations. As RMM increases I examine more of the period-end bank reconciliations and more of the outstanding reconciling items. Also, I am more inclined confirm the balances.

Substantive Procedures for Cash

My customary audit tests are as follows:

  1. Confirm cash balances
  2. Vouch reconciling items to the subsequent month’s bank statement
  3. Ask if all bank accounts are included on the general ledger
  4. Inspect final deposits and disbursements for proper cutoff

The auditor should send confirmations directly to the bank. Some individuals create false bank statements to cover up theft. Those same persons provide false confirmation addresses. Then the confirmation is sent to an individual (the fraudster) rather than a bank. Once received, the fraudster replies to the confirmation as though the bank is doing so. You can lessen the chance of fraudulent confirmations by using Confirmation.com, a company that specializes in bank confirmations. Alternatively, you might Google the confirmation address to verify its existence.

Agree the confirmed bank balance to the period-end bank reconciliation (e.g., December 31, 20X7). Then, agree the reconciling items on the bank reconciliation to the bank statement subsequent to the period-end. For example, examine the January 20X8 bank statement activity when clearing the December 20X7 reconciling items. Finally, agree the reconciled balance to the general ledger cash balance for the period-end (e.g., December 31, 20X7).

Cut-off bank statements (e.g., January 20, 20X8 bank statement) may be used to test the outstanding items. Such statements, similar to bank confirmations, are mailed directly to the auditor. Alternatively, the auditor might examine the reconciling items by viewing online bank statements. (Read-only rights can be given to the auditor.)

Common Cash Work Papers

My cash work papers normally include the following:

  • An understanding of cash-related internal controls
  • Risk assessment of cash assertions at the assertion level
  • Documentation of any control deficiencies
  • Cash audit program
  • Bank reconciliations for each significant account
  • Bank confirmations

Auditing Cash 

We’ve discussed how to perform cash risk assessment procedures, the relevant cash assertions, the cash risk assessments, and substantive cash procedures.

Next we’ll examine how to audit receivables and revenues.

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fake bank confirmations
Oct 18

Fake Bank Confirmation Responses: $6 Million Theft

By Charles Hall | Auditing

The Western District of North Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a press release on June 17, 2013, detailing how James Shepherd, an investment company owner, defrauded over 100 investors of approximately $6 million. How? By misusing funds and tricking his company’s external auditors with fake bank confirmation responses.

fake bank confirmations

Hiding Theft with Fake Bank Confirmation Responses

The press release states, “Documents indicate that Shepherd built a $2 million residence in Vass, North Carolina, and used investor money to make mortgage payments on the residence.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office said, “For seven years Shepherd used his investment fund as his personal piggy bank and repeatedly lied to his investors who trusted him with their savings.” The release goes on to say the fraud was concealed as “Shepherd sent to investors certified financial statements…accompanied by an Independent Auditor’s Report.” The fraudulent December 31, 2012, financial statement reflected a $6,041,850 cash balance when in reality the fund had less than $100,000. So, how was Shepherd able to get an independent auditor’s report based on fraudulent numbers?

The auditor sent bank confirmations to a P.O. Box address provided by Shepherd. Additionally, the confirmations were sent to the attention of a “Charles Fisher,” a fictitious bank employee.

And who controlled the P.O. Box? Mr. Shepherd.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Shepherd would receive the bank confirmations, “forge the name Fisher on a fake bank letter” and “send forged bank statements with fake balances” to the auditor. The responses came in the form of both letters and faxes.

So, how were the forged bank statements created? The press release stated that “Shepherd generated the fraudulent bank statements using a version of Adobe Acrobat that enabled him to type false numbers over true bank statements.”

Given the false bank confirmations, how was Mr. Shepherd ever caught? In March 2013 the auditors “insisted on verifying the cash balance of funds’ bank account electronically through the audit confirmation website www.confirmation.com.” Shepherd then refused to give the accountant authority to utilize the site to verify the cash balance. After that, the auditor notified the National Futures Association that his audit opinion could no longer be relied upon.

Given this cautionary tale, how can auditors combat the threat of false bank contact information?

Designing Confirmations 

A while back, my friend James Ulvog brought to my attention the following clarified auditing section about confirmations.

AU-C Section 505.A7 states:

Determining that requests are properly addressed includes verifying the accuracy of the addresses, including testing the validity of some or all of the addresses on the confirmation requests before they are sent out, regardless of the confirmation method used. When a confirmation request is sent by e-mail, the auditor’s determination that the request is being properly directed to the appropriate confirming party may include performing procedures to test the validity of some or all of the e-mail addresses supplied by management.

Auditors often confirm bank accounts using:

  1. Letters
  2. Emails

Regardless of how an account is confirmed, auditors need to verify the contact information provided by the auditee–at least for some of the confirmations.

Bottom line

Audit standards require that steps be taken to ensure that confirmations are sent to the appropriate persons.

Using Confirmation.com reduces risk related to faulty confirmations. If you don’t use Confirmation.com, then consider checking street addresses by Googling them, or you might call the confirming party–especially for high-risk accounts.

The procedures used to verify mailing addresses, fax numbers, and email addresses should be documented in the auditor’s work papers.

Postscript

On February 11, 2015, Mr. Shepherd was sentenced to 84 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Shepherd pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in June 2013.

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