Forensic Services

When your organisation is under threat – whether from fraud, corruption or legal challenges - you need to act swiftly to deal with issues before they escalate. More importantly, organisations should also be taking a proactive approach to risk and compliance so they are in a defensible position when a crisis or scrutiny occurs. This includes ensuring legal, ethical and regulatory compliance and having robust governance frameworks in place that are lived and breathed within an organisation.

BDO's Forensic Services professionals can help you mitigate and resolve high-risk matters involving investigations, forensic technology, analytics and forensic accounting, and help organisations create and embed governance frameworks to retain value.

A comprehensive approach to risk and compliance

Backed by credible and senior professionals, BDO's Forensic Services team provide an integrated suite of services tailored to your specific needs including:

We bring deep technical and industry-specific experience across a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. Our multidisciplinary team includes certified accountants, certified fraud examiners and forensic accountants, forensic technology professionals, licensed investigators, financial analysts, and former members of law enforcement.

Find out how we can help you prevent, detect and respond to risk in your organisation.

BDO Forensic Insights

Now, more than ever, organisations are faced with threats to their business that can create high-risk issues to develop, such as fraud and corruption if left unchecked. Our BDO Forensic team monitors the regulatory environment, transparency news and emerging trends in Australia and globally to ensure businesses are prepared to act swiftly and respond.

Scams Awareness Week 2022

Scams Awareness Week aims to encourage awareness and understanding of scams, the impacts of scams, and how scammers work.

This year, the theme of the campaign, led by the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC), and Scamwatch and hosted by the Scams Awareness Network, is ‘How to spot a scam’. With scammers becoming increasingly strategic, this week provides an opportunity to communicate why it’s important to remain at the forefront of scam activity, spot the signs to protect your organisation.

In support of Scams Awareness Week, BDO’s Forensic Services and Cyber teams have compiled a range of resources addressing issues impacting Australian organisations, including how you can identify a scam in the making and what you can do if you have been a victim of a scam.

By compiling our resources, we aim to raise awareness and reduce the rising statistics of scam activity. BDO has partnered with the ACCC and Scamwatch, as part of Scams Awareness Week 2022.

Would you be able to spot a scam?

In The Courier-Mail’s Queensland Business Weekly, Forensic Services Partner, Stan Gallo, explores how to spot a scam, and shares several tips that go beyond the basics of being scam aware.

Let’s talk Business Email Compromise (BEC)

What might happen should a scenario of Business Email Compromise (BEC) with one of your business partners or clients becomes a reality.

2022 Cyber Security Survey

The annual BDO and AusCERT Cyber Security Survey identifies the current cyber security trends, issues and threats facing organisations across Australia and New Zealand.

Cyber Security Updates

View the latest cyber security news, updates and insights from BDO in Australia.

Fraud and corruption

Five dodgy signs you must not ignore at your workplace

BDO’s Risk and Forensic Services experts have compiled the top five signs that may indicate unaddressed risks, unethical employee behaviour, and issues in your organisation.

What does modern workplace fraud look like in 2021?

Fraud has been, is being, and will always be committed, even as the avenues for theft and what is stolen evolves.

Litigation in uncertain times

The disruption caused by COVID-19 has led to a surge in disputes and the need for businesses to access litigation support. This changing environment means that litigation lawyers need to apply scrutiny and ask the following questions when looking at financial documents.

AS8001 - Are you ready for the changes to fraud and corruption control?

A new Australian Standard AS8001:2008 - Fraud & Corruption Control was released on 11 June, 2021. This Standard is considered the benchmark when it comes to how organisations can mitigate fraud and corruption risks.

Why fraudsters love working from home

The events of 2020 saw many organisations face their most challenging times, yet fraudsters thrived in the same conditions. What made this time of global upheaval such a good year for fraudsters?

Ten steps all organisations should consider to reduce the risk of internal fraud and theft

Organisations are facing significant challenges when it comes to theft and fraud committed by trusted employees.

Are you prepared for investigation of internal fraud and misconduct?

Organisations invest a considerable amount of time, money and resources into recruiting the best employee to help achieve business success.

Minimising the risk of common frauds

This case study highlights ‘common’ frauds, including asset misappropriation and financial statement fraud.

Forensic Technology

Ransomware explained - An analysis of the Government's new ransomware action plan

Ransomware traditionally targeted individuals and their computers by locking them down and demanding payment for their recovery.

Putting the ‘co’ in ‘Discovery’ - three best practices for collaboration

Mergers, restructures, separations, Intellectual Property (IP) issues, and all data-heavy business processes can be better supported by technology, primarily when powered by collaboration.

Is data the new gold?

If you believe the media hype, data is the new gold, and mining it or putting it on chains will make you a multi-millionaire. Sound vaguely familiar but hard to grasp?

Shifting the regulatory landscape: Too big to fail and too big to regulate

Recently, regulatory focus has begun to shift to the world’s largest technology corporations (Big Tech), which over the last few years have grown phenomenally.

The importance of restricting system controls

Controlling access to your accounting systems and software is a crucial step in mitigating the risk of fraud occurring. Read our client case study that highlights the importance of restricting system controls in a recent matter.

The future of forensic data collections

As organisation’s transition from being onsite, to working from home regularly, the role of forensic data collection will change in the 'new world'.

Five critical success factors for on-time, high-quality eDiscovery productions

When your organisation needs to respond to a regulatory notice, substantiate a Research & Development (R&D) tax claim on time with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or AusIndustry or complete data separation for a carve-out post-merger, time is usually of the essence.

Forensic Investigations