Prepared by

Coby Harmon
University of California, Santa Barbara
Westmont College

7-1

7 Fraud, Internal Control,

and Cash
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
[1] Define fraud and internal control.
[2] Identify the principles of internal control activities.
[3] Explain the applications of internal control principles to cash receipts.
[4] Explain the applications of internal control principles to cash
disbursements.
[5] Describe the operation of a petty cash fund.
[6] Indicate the control features of a bank account.
[7] Prepare a bank reconciliation.
[8] Explain the reporting of cash.
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 Preview of Chapter 7

Accounting Principles
Eleventh Edition
Weygandt Kimmel Kieso
7-3

Fraud and Internal Control

Fraud
Dishonest act by an employee that results in personal benefit to
the employee at a cost to the employer.

Three factors that

contribute to
fraudulent activity.

Illustration 8-1

7-4 LO 1 Define fraud and internal control.

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 Fraud and Internal Control

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

 Applies to publicly traded U.S. corporations.

 Required to maintain a system of internal control.

 Corporate executives and boards of directors must ensure

that these controls are reliable and effective.

 Independent outside auditors must attest to the adequacy

of the internal control system.

 SOX created the Public Company Accounting Oversight

Board (PCAOB).

7-5 LO 1 Define fraud and internal control.

Fraud and Internal Control

Internal Control
Methods and measures adopted to:
1. Safeguard assets.

2. Enhance accuracy and reliability of accounting records.

3. Increase efficiency of operations.

4. Ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

7-6 LO 1 Define fraud and internal control.

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 Fraud and Internal Control

Internal Control
Five Primary Components:
1. Control environment.

2. Risk assessment.

3. Control activities.

4. Information and communication.

5. Monitoring.

7-7 LO 1 Define fraud and internal control.

Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Establishment of Responsibility

 Control is most effective when only

one person is responsible for a given
task.

 Establishing responsibility often

requires limiting access only to
authorized personnel, and then
identifying those personnel.

7-8 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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 Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Segregation of Duties

 Different individuals should be

responsible for related
activities.

 The responsibility for record-

keeping for an asset should
be separate from the physical
custody of that asset.

7-9 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Documentation Procedures

 Companies should use

prenumbered documents, and
all documents should be
accounted for.

 Employees should promptly

forward source documents for
accounting entries to the
accounting department.

7-10 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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 Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Physical
Illustration 8-2
Controls

7-11 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Independent Internal Verification Illustration 8-3

 Records periodically
verified by an
employee who is
independent.

 Discrepancies
reported to
management.

7-12 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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 Fraud and Internal Control

Principles of Internal Control Activities

Human Resource Controls

 Bond employees who handle

cash.

 Rotate employees’ duties and

require vacations.

 Conduct background checks.

7-13 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

Maureen Frugali was a training supervisor for claims processing at Colossal

Healthcare. As a standard part of the claims processing training program,
Maureen created fictitious claims for use by trainees. These fictitious claims
were then sent to the accounts payable department. After the training claims
had been processed, she was to notify Accounts Payable of all fictitious claims,
so that they would not be paid. However, she did not inform Accounts Payable
about every fictitious claim. She created some fictitious claims for entities that
she controlled (that is, she would receive the payment), and she let Accounts
Payable pay her.

Total take: $11 million

The Missing Control

Establishment of responsibility. The healthcare company did not adequately
restrict the responsibility for authoring and approving claims transactions. The
training supervisor should not have been authorized to create claims in the
company’s “live” system.

7-14 Advance slide in presentation mode to reveal answer.

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 ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

Lawrence Fairbanks, the assistant vice-chancellor of communications at Aesop

University, was allowed to make purchases of under $2,500 for his department
without external approval. Unfortunately, he also sometimes bought items for
himself, such as expensive antiques and other collectibles. How did he do it?
He replaced the vendor invoices he received with fake vendor invoices that he
created. The fake invoices had descriptions that were more consistent with the
communications department’s purchases. He submitted these fake invoices to
the accounting department as the basis for their journal entries and to the
accounts payable department as the basis for payment.

Total take: $475,000

The Missing Control

Segregation of duties. The university had not properly segregated related
purchasing activities. Lawrence was ordering items, receiving the items, and
receiving the invoice. By receiving the invoice, he had control over the
documents that were used to account for the purchase and thus was able to
substitute a fake invoice.
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ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

Angela Bauer was an accounts payable clerk for Aggasiz Construction

Company. She prepared and issued checks to vendors and reconciled bank
statements. She perpetrated a fraud in this way: She wrote checks for costs
that the company had not actually incurred (e.g., fake taxes). A supervisor then
approved and signed the checks. Before issuing the check, though, she would
“white-out” the payee line on the check and change it to personal accounts that
she controlled. She was able to conceal the theft because she also reconciled
the bank account. That is, nobody else ever saw that the checks had been
altered.

Total take: $570,000

The Missing Control

Segregation of duties. Aggasiz Construction Company did not properly
segregate record-keeping from physical custody. Angela had physical custody
of the checks, which essentially was control of the cash. She also had record-
keeping responsibility because she prepared the bank reconciliation.

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 ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

To support their reimbursement requests for travel costs incurred, employees at

Mod Fashions Corporation’s design center were required to submit receipts. The
receipts could include the detailed bill provided for a meal, or the credit card
receipt provided when the credit card payment is made, or a copy of the
employee’s monthly credit card bill that listed the item. A number of the designers
who frequently traveled together came up with a fraud scheme: They submitted
claims for the same expenses. For example, if they had a meal together that cost
$200, one person submitted the detailed meal bill, another submitted the credit
card receipt, and a third submitted a monthly credit card bill showing the meal as
a line item. Thus, all three received a $200 reimbursement.

Total take: $75,000

The Missing Control

Documentation procedures. Mod Fashions should require the original,
detailed receipt. It should not accept photocopies, and it should not accept
credit card statements. In addition, documentation procedures could be further
improved by requiring the use of a corporate credit card (rather than a personal
credit card) for all business expenses.
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ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

At Centerstone Health, a large insurance company, the mailroom each day

received insurance applications from prospective customers. Mailroom
employees scanned the applications into electronic documents before the
applications were processed. Once the applications are scanned they can be
accessed online by authorized employees. Insurance agents at Centerstone
Health earn commissions based upon successful applications. The sales agent’s
name is listed on the application. However, roughly 15% of the applications are
from customers who did not work with a sales agent. Two friends—Alex, an
employee in record keeping, and Parviz, a sales agent—thought up a way to
perpetrate a fraud. Alex identified scanned applications that did not list a sales
agent. After business hours, he entered the mailroom and found the hardcopy
applications that did not show a sales agent. He wrote in Parviz’s name as the
sales agent and then rescanned the application for processing. Parviz received
the commission, which the friends then split.

Total take: $240,000

The Missing Control

7-18

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 Total take: $240,000

The Missing Control

Physical controls. Centerstone Health lacked two basic physical controls that
could have prevented this fraud. First, the mailroom should have been locked
during nonbusiness hours, and access during business hours should have
been tightly controlled. Second, the scanned applications supposedly could be
accessed only by authorized employees using their passwords. However, the
password for each employee was the same as the employee’s user ID. Since
employee user-ID numbers were available to all other employees, all
employees knew all other employees’ passwords. Unauthorized employees
could access the scanned applications. Thus, Alex could enter the system
using another employee’s password and access the scanned applications.

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ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

Bobbi Jean Donnelly, the office manager for Mod Fashions Corporations design
center, was responsible for preparing the design center budget and reviewing
expense reports submitted by design center employees. Her desire to upgrade
her wardrobe got the better of her, and she enacted a fraud that involved filing
expense-reimbursement requests for her own personal clothing purchases. She
was able to conceal the fraud because she was responsible for reviewing all
expense reports, including her own. In addition, she sometimes was given
ultimate responsibility for signing off on the expense reports when her boss was
“too busy.” Also, because she controlled the budget, when she submitted her
expenses, she coded them to budget items that she knew were running under
budget, so that they would not catch anyone’s attention.
Total take: $275,000
The Missing Control
Independent internal verification. Bobbi Jean’s boss should have verified her
expense reports. When asked what he thought her expenses were, the boss
said about $10,000. At $115,000 per year, her actual expenses were more than
ten times what would have been expected. However, because he was “too
busy” to verify her expense reports or to review the budget, he never noticed.
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 ANATOMY OF A FRAUD

Ellen Lowry was the desk manager and Josephine Rodriquez was the head of
housekeeping at the Excelsior Inn, a luxury hotel. The two best friends were so
dedicated to their jobs that they never took vacations, and they frequently filled in
for other employees. In fact, Ms. Rodriquez, whose job as head of housekeeping
did not include cleaning rooms, often cleaned rooms herself, “just to help the
staff keep up.” Ellen, the desk manager, provided significant discounts to guests
who paid with cash. She kept the cash and did not register the guest in the
hotel’s computerized system. Instead, she took the room out of circulation “due
to routine maintenance.” Because the room did not show up as being used, it did
not receive a normal housekeeping assignment. Instead, Josephine, the head of
housekeeping, cleaned the rooms during the guests’ stay.

Total take: $95,000

The Missing Control
Human resource controls. Ellen, the desk manager, had been fired by a
previous employer. If the Excelsior Inn had conducted a background check, it
would not have hired her. The fraud was detected when Ellen missed work due
to illness. A system of mandatory vacations and rotating days off would have
increased the chances of detecting the fraud before it became so large.
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Fraud and Internal Control

Limitations of Internal Control

 Costs should not exceed benefit.

 Human element.
Helpful Hint Controls may
 Size of the business. vary with the risk level of the
activity. For example,
management may consider
cash to be high risk and
maintaining inventories in the
stockroom as lower risk. Thus,
management would have
stricter controls for cash.

7-22 LO 2 Identify the principles of internal control activities.

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 Cash Controls

Cash Receipt Controls

Illustration 8-4

7-23
LO 3

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Cash Controls

Cash Receipt Controls

Illustration 8-4

7-24
LO 3

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 Cash Controls

Cash Receipt
Controls
Over-the-Counter
Receipts

Important internal
control principle—
segregation of record-
keeping from physical
custody.

Illustration 8-5

7-25 LO 3 Explain the applications of internal control principles to cash receipts.

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Cash Controls

Cash Receipt Controls

Mail Receipts
 Mail receipts should be opened by two people, a list prepared,
and each check endorsed “For Deposit Only.”

 Each mail clerk signs the list to establish responsibility for the
data.

 Original copy of the list, along with the checks, is sent to the
cashier’s department.

 Copy of the list is sent to the accounting department for

recording. Clerks also keep a copy.

7-26 LO 3 Explain the applications of internal control principles to cash receipts.

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 Cash Controls

Question
Permitting only designated personnel to handle cash receipts
is an application of the principle of:

a. segregation of duties.

b. establishment of authority.

c. independent check.

d. other controls.

7-27 LO 3 Explain the applications of internal control principles to cash receipts.

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Cash Controls

Cash Disbursement Controls

Generally, internal control over cash disbursements is more
effective when companies pay by check or electronic funds
transfer (EFT) rather than by cash.

One exception is payments for incidental amounts that are

paid out of petty cash.

7-28 LO 4 Explain the applications of internal control

principles to cash disbursements.

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 Cash Controls

Cash Disbursement
Controls

Illustration 8-6

7-29
LO 4

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Cash Controls

Cash Disbursement
Controls

Illustration 8-6

7-30
LO 4

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 Cash Controls

Question
The use of prenumbered checks in disbursing cash is an
application of the principle of:

a. segregation of duties.

b. establishment of authority.

c. physical, mechanical, and electronic controls.

d. documentation procedures.

7-31 LO 4 Explain the applications of internal control

principles to cash disbursements.

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Cash Controls

Cash Disbursement Controls

Voucher System Controls

 A network of approvals by authorized individuals, acting

independently, to ensure all disbursements by check are
proper.

 A voucher is an authorization form prepared for each

expenditure in a voucher system.

7-32 LO 4 Explain the applications of internal control

principles to cash disbursements.

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 Cash Controls

Petty Cash Fund

Petty Cash Fund - Used to pay small amounts.

Involves:
1. establishing the fund,

2. making payments from the

fund, and
3. replenishing the fund.

7-33 LO 5 Describe the operation of a petty cash fund.

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Cash Controls

Establishing the Petty Cash Fund

Illustration: If Laird Company decides to establish a $100 fund
on March 1, the entry is:

March 1 Petty cash 100

Cash 100

7-34 LO 5 Describe the operation of a petty cash fund.

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 Cash Controls

Replenishing the Petty Cash Fund

Illustration: On March 15 the petty cash custodian requests a
check for $87. The fund contains $13 cash and petty cash
receipts for postage $44, freight-out $38, and miscellaneous
expenses $5. The entry is:

March 15 Postage Expense 44

Freight-Out 38
Miscellaneous Expense 5
Cash 87

7-35 LO 5 Describe the operation of a petty cash fund.

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Cash Controls

Illustration: Assume in the preceding example that the

custodian had only $12 in cash in the fund plus the receipts as
listed. The request for reimbursement would therefore be for
$88. The entry is:

March 15 Postage Expense 44

Freight-Out 38
Miscellaneous expense 5
Cash Over and short 1
Cash 88

7-36 LO 5 Describe the operation of a petty cash fund.

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

The use of a bank contributes significantly to good internal

control over cash.

 Minimizes the amount of currency on hand.

 Creates a double record of bank transactions.

 Bank reconciliation.
Helpful Hint Essentially,
the bank statement is a
copy of the bank’s records
sent to the customer or
made available online for
review.

7-37 LO 6 Indicate the control features of a bank account.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Illustration 8-8
Making Bank Deposits
Authorized employee
should make deposit.

7-38 LO 6

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Writing Checks
Written order signed by depositor directing bank to pay a specified
sum of money to a designated recipient.
Illustration 8-9

Maker

Payee

Payer

7-39 LO 6

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Illustration 8-10
Bank Statements

Debit Memorandum
 Bank service charge.
 NSF (not sufficient
funds).

Credit Memorandum
 Collect notes
receivable.
 Interest earned.

7-40 LO 5 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Question
The control features of a bank account do not include:
a. having bank auditors verify the correctness of the bank
balance per books.

b. minimizing the amount of cash that must be kept on

hand.

c. providing a double record of all bank transactions.

d. safeguarding cash by using a bank as a depository.

7-41 LO 5 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Reconciling the Bank Account

Reconcile balance per books and balance per bank to their
“correct or true” balance.

Reconciling Items:
1. Deposits in transit.

2. Outstanding checks. Time Lags

3. Bank memoranda.

4. Errors.

7-42 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Reconciliation Procedures Illustration 8-11

+ Deposit in Transit + Notes collected by bank

- Outstanding Checks - NSF (bounced) checks
+/- Bank Errors - Check printing or other
service charges
+/- Company Errors
CORRECT BALANCE CORRECT BALANCE

7-43 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

7-44 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

44
 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Illustration: Prepare a bank reconciliation at April 30.

Cash balance per bank statement $15,907.45

Deposit in transit 2,201.40
Outstanding checks (5,904.00)
Adjusted cash balance per bank $12,204.85

Cash balance per books $11,589.45

Error in check No. 443 36.00
NSF check (425.60)
Bank service charge (30.00)
Collection of notes receivable 1,035.00
Adjusted cash balance per books $12,204.85

7-45 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Entries From Bank Reconciliation

Collection of Note Receivable: Assuming interest of $50 has
not been accrued and collection fee is charged to Miscellaneous
Expense, the entry is:

Apr. 30 Cash 1,035.00

Miscellaneous Expense 15.00
Notes Receivable 1,000.00
Interest Revenue 50.00

7-46 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Book Error: The cash disbursements journal shows that check

no. 443 was a payment on account to Andrea Company, a
supplier. The correcting entry is:

Apr. 30 Cash 36.00

Accounts Payable 36.00

NSF Check: As indicated earlier, an NSF check becomes an

account receivable to the depositor. The entry is:

Apr. 30 Accounts Receivable 425.60

Cash 425.60
7-47 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Bank Service Charges: Depositors debit check printing charges

(DM) and other bank service charges (SC) to Miscellaneous
Expense. The entry is:

Apr. 30 Miscellaneous Expense 30.00

Cash 30.00

Illustration 8-13

7-48 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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 Control Features: Use of a Bank

Question
The reconciling item in a bank reconciliation that will result in
an adjusting entry by the depositor is:

a. outstanding checks.

b. deposit in transit.

c. a bank error.

d. bank service charges.

7-49 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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Control Features: Use of a Bank

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) System

 Disbursement systems that uses wire, telephone, or
computers to transfer cash balances between locations.

 EFT transfers normally result in better internal control

since no cash or checks are handled by company
employees.

7-50 LO 7 Prepare a bank reconciliation.

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 > DO IT!
Sally Kist owns Linen Kist Fabrics. Sally asks you to explain how she
should treat the following reconciling items when reconciling the
company’s bank account: (1) a debit memorandum for an NSF check,
(2) a credit memorandum for a note collected by the bank, (3)
outstanding checks, and (4) a deposit in transit.

Solution
Sally should treat the reconciling items as follows.

(1) NSF check: Deduct from balance per books.

(2) Collection of note: Add to balance per books.

(3) Outstanding checks: Deduct from balance per bank.

(4) Deposit in transit: Add to balance per bank.

7-51 LO 7

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Reporting Cash

Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments
that are both:
1. Readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and

2. So near their maturity that their market value is relatively

insensitive to changes in interest rates.

Restricted Cash
Cash that is not available for general use but rather is
restricted for a special purpose.

7-52 LO 8 Explain the reporting of cash.

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 Reporting Cash
Illustration 8-14

7-53 LO 8 Explain the reporting of cash.

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Reporting Cash

Question
Which of the following statements correctly describes the
reporting of cash?

a. Cash cannot be combined with cash equivalents.

b. Restricted cash fund may be combined with Cash.

c. Cash is listed first in the current assets section.

d. Restricted cash funds cannot be reported as a current

asset.

7-54 LO 8 Explain the reporting of cash.

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