2025-10-20 – Weekly Forensic Accountant News : Invoice splitting prevention tips

Last week, our community explored various facets of the forensic accounting field, focusing on practical challenges and emerging patterns. The discussions ranged from the complexity of obtaining security clearances for job opportunities to the ever-present threat of invoice splitting. Members also examined recurring fraudulent patterns in payroll systems and shared insights on historical fraud cases and forensic accounting terminology.


This Week’s Hot Topics

  • 2025-10-16 – Weekly Forensic Accountant Jobs : Top Secret clearance? Join SiloSmashers
    Delve into the intricacies of securing a Top Secret clearance and the opportunities it opens in forensic accounting roles.
    Read more here

  • Catching invoice splitting before it spreads
    A deep dive into strategies for identifying and preventing invoice splitting, an increasingly common fraudulent tactic.
    Read more here

  • ERC payroll sham pattern keeps surfacing
    Explore discussions on identifying patterns in ERC payroll frauds that continue to emerge across various sectors.
    Read more here

  • FAQ/Guidelines
    A refresher on the community guidelines to ensure productive and respectful interactions.
    Read more here

  • Admin Guide: Getting Started
    An essential guide for new members to navigate the forum and make the most of the resources available.
    Read more here

  • Famous Financial Fraud Cases You Should Know
    A fascinating look at some of history’s most notorious fraud cases and the lessons they offer.
    Read more here

  • Common Accounting Terms in Forensics
    Clarifying key forensic accounting terms that are crucial for both newcomers and seasoned professionals.
    Read more here

  • History of Forensic Accounting
    Gain insights into the evolution of forensic accounting and its impact on modern financial investigations.
    Read more here

  • Funny or Bizarre Findings in Investigations
    A lighter side of forensic accounting, showcasing some of the more unusual discoveries made during investigations.
    Read more here

  • Miscommunications in Legal and Financial Teams
    Discuss common communication barriers between legal and financial teams and how to bridge these gaps.
    Read more here


Looking forward to another week of engaging discussions. Feel free to jump in and share your thoughts or experiences on these topics.

We cut invoice splitting by setting a 30-day rolling vendor limit: if three invoices land 5–10% under the $10k cap, our SQL job flags them and forces a second approver — , the games people play. Fuzzy-matching vendor name + DBA + bank account catches the fake-new-vendor trick, but expect a burst of false positives the first week. @Maya we also exempted true emergency POs so ops didn’t revolt.

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Building on @r_kingsley58, we started hashing invoice PDFs and flagging repeats when the ‘scope’ text and bank account matched across different vendor IDs; that exposed splits that slipped past per-invoice caps. Small caveat: we roll up by PO over 14 days to avoid tagging legit milestone billing, and a second reviewer eyeballs edge cases — otherwise it turns into invoice whack‑a‑mole.

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