FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2021

Contact:

Kathleen R. McMorrow

The Communications Optic, LLC.

Phone: 973.665.8167

Email: [email protected]

New Article Explores the Importance of Internet Data in Building a Successful Fraud Case

(Wanaque, NJ) A new article, co-authored by Hetherington Group’s CEO Cynthia Hetherington and Wake Forest University’s Associate Professor of Accountancy George R. Aldhizer, III, appears in the current issue of the Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting. With a focus on the utilization of open source intelligence, the authors present a case study involving a Seattle-based ferry and yacht-chartering business whose owner suspects an inside mole is aiding a competitor in pilfering a large portion of his client base.

In “SJCC Forensic Investigation Involving Internet Data,” Hetherington and Aldhizer inform readers of the importance of utilizing open source data to track down potential fraud between a primary suspect and potential co-conspirators. The authors maintain that traditional accounting data no longer represent the majority of relevant information when conducting a fraud investigation. Open source data such as public records, social media postings, and organizational network data prove to be a critical source of intelligence.

“SJCC Forensic Investigation Involving Internet Data” (George R. Aldhizer, III and Cynthia Hetherington), Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting, December 2020, 12(3), p. 523-534 https://www.nacva.com/jfia-current

Cynthia Hetherington, MLS, MSM, CFE, CII is the founder and president of Hetherington Group, a consulting, publishing, and training firm that leads in due diligence, corporate intelligence, and cyber investigations by keeping pace with the latest security threats and assessments. She has authored three books on how to conduct investigations, is the publisher of the newsletter, Data2know: Internet and Online Intelligence, and annually trains thousands of investigators, security professionals, attorneys, accountants, auditors, military intelligence professionals, and federal, state, and local agencies on best practices in the public and private sectors.

George R. Aldhizer, III, PhD is PricewaterhouseCoopers Associate Professor at Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, NC. He received his doctorate in Accounting/Behavioral Research Methods in 1994 from Texas Tech University – Rawls College of Business.

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