Auditor of State Dave Yost will speak during the opening session of the conference on Tuesday, May 10.
 

Columbus – Fraud can strike anywhere weak internal controls and opportunities for easy money exist.

Auditor of State Dave Yost’s office catches much of it at the state and local government levels – more than $22 million in illegally spent or stolen public dollars since 2011. But the Auditor’s examinations are limited to public entities funded by tax dollars. 

“The unfortunate reality is that fraud has no boundaries,” Yost said. “Regardless of whether your dollars are public or private, fraud is always a risk if you’re not well-protected.” 

Each year, the Auditor’s office tries to provide fraud training to both the public and private sectors. This year’s two-day training program, scheduled for May 10-11 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus, will bring hundreds of fraud-prevention professionals like accountants, attorneys and law enforcement officials together with the common goal of rooting out fraud wherever it exists.

Those attending the Emerging Trends in Fraud Investigation and Prevention Conference will hone their skills with the help of expert speakers like Jim Ratley of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), cybercrime reporter Brian Krebs, Walt Manning of Investigations MD, and Matthew Smith, president of Smith, Rolfes and Skavdahl Company, LPA.

The conference, now in its 16th year, is a collaboration between the Auditor’s office, the Attorney General’s office, the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and the ACFE.

“The Auditor’s office brings our expertise and interest in public fraud to the table,” said Brendan Inscho, director of the Auditor’s Public Integrity Assurance Team. “The ACFE brings the mirror image, which is the private side. So this conference really covers the full gambit of fraud investigations.”

Keeping in mind that fraudsters think of new ways to commit fraud every day, the conference’s 36 workshops and four general sessions are designed to help those in attendance stay one step ahead of the criminals, Inscho said.

Technology constantly alters the playing field for fraud, he said, so many sessions offered at this year’s conference deal with topics in the digital realm, including internet commerce and using technology to investigate and prevent fraud. 

The wealth of knowledge available at the conference, Yost said, keeps Ohio’s fraud-prevention professionals well ahead of the game.

“Fraudsters think they’re too clever to get caught,” he said, “but we often have their playbook and know their next move before they even step foot on the field.”

The conference is approved for 13.5 CLE and 16 CPE hours of instruction. Click here for more information including the full schedule of events.