A great article was published today showing highlights of the IC3's 2016 Internet Crime Report. The report, published at www.fbi.gov, included some stastistics and this great visual depicting the victims of internet crime by age group:

A change to the Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718 - formerly known as FAS 123R) was instituted this month and will be applicable to "any entity that changes the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award." Those companies affected by this change should review their overall procedures and internal controls to ensure they are updated to include these new requirements. Be sure to update your testing procedures too so this new requirement isn't missed during controls testing. 

It pays for an Auditor to know high-end brands because it is EXTREMELY difficult for people to hide their new-found wealth and typically the first way they show it is through their cars, jewelry, watches, bags, etc. It is human nature to brag and that starts with how you look, the brands you wear, and the car you drive. Case in point - we were once hired to investigate a company that couldn't figure out how they were "leaking so much money” considering they had only 7 employees. So, the first thing I asked for was a list of everyone's salaries and I inquired about each person’s background. Here is what I found:

General Cable Corporate was fined more than $75M for "...not having effective programs & internal controls necessary to proactively address corruption risks and accounting errors." Terrible considering it would have cost them <$50K to become compliant using the Vibato program and they would have also been able to experience the benefits of compliance such as more efficient procedures, shorter close duration, balanced workloads, etc...The CEO & CFO also had to return a total of $5.8M in combined compensation - that they were entitled to - but that they forfeited simply because they failed to follow the rules and comply with the Sarbanes Oxley laws. Expensive lesson...

This is a great email alert that came out today from the SEC:

Vibato would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Holiday Season! 

BATO and the Team would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! 

COSO has created and provided Fraud Risk Management Tools to help prevent and deter fraud from any company. In 2013, COSO created categories for 17 Principles and Components into 5 sections - Control Environment, Risk Assessment, Control Activities, Information and Communication, and Monitoring. Now COSO has created a fraud management tool for each of the 5 categories. 

This 5 part series focuses on the recent FIFA scandals, the people in charge, and the many changes in auditors.

Just a few months ago, FIFA's Chief Internal Auditor, Scala, stepped down for various reasons (here). Today, FIFA's council appointed Tomaz Vesel  as the independent chairperson of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee. Mr Vesel currently serves as President of the Court of Auditors in Slovenia having been elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia in 2013.

“The appointment of Mr Vesel as independent chairperson of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee is an important development in the ongoing effort to strengthen FIFA’s governance and compliance systems,” said FIFA President, Gianni Infantino. “This is a vital role within the organization and Mr Vesel’s audit expertise and international experience will help reassure stakeholders and restore trust in FIFA.”

There is still no word about any new external auditor since KPMG stepped down last month. FIFA is still cleaning up a large mess with U.S officials. More than 40 people have been charged with crimes including racketeering and money laundering since the 2015 scandal and recent hidden bonus information. Stay tuned for details about FIFA's upcoming new external auditors. 

To veiw the full story from FIFA, click here.