Bob and his brother Bill, owners and operators of Hometown Tractor for 30 years, were close to retirement. A local bank had continually financed the company, which had an inventory of farm tractors worth millions of dollars. The owner's wives, Jane and Julie, shared accounting duties for Hometown Tractor. Jane would approve invoices. Julie would prepare the checks and either Bill or Bob would sign them. The receipt and payment cycle included a series of checks and balances with no one employee responsible for the entire cycle. Jane and Julie retired from the business, and James, Bob's son, assumed the bookkeeping responsibilities. James, 30, had been working in various jobs at the business since high school. Now the brothers entrusted him with all aspects of bookkeeping for the business: accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and all account and bank reconciliations. They gave him a check-signing ability and a business credit card. Soon after becoming the bookkeeper, James married and began a family. As his personal monthly bills increased, he found it difficult to maintain the lifestyle he had known when he was single and living with his parents. By 2009, Hometown Tractor was experiencing cash flow problems. The company laid off several employees and reduced benefits. James concurred with the owners’ conclusion that the financial difficulties were attributable to a downturn in the economy. 

What possible opportunities does James have to commit fraud? Using the fraud triangle, identify the signs which could signal a possible fraud. But he certainly wouldn’t steal from his own parents. Would he?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Step 12 The possible opportunities for James to commit fraud include 1 Accounts payable James could approve fraudulent invoices and pocket the money 2 Accounts receivable James could inflate the amoun... View the full answer