Fool me once: scams, stories, and secrets from the trillion-dollar fraud industry
Description
A riveting look at the perpetrators, victims, and whistleblowers behind financial crimes, from forensic accounting expert and documentarian Kelly Richmond Pope.
Have you ever wondered why Bernie Madoff thought he could brazenly steal his clients' money? Or why investors were so easily duped by Elizabeth Holmes? Or how courageous people like Jeffrey Wigand are willing to become whistleblowers and put their careers on the line?
Fraud is everywhere, from Nigerian "princes," embezzlers, and Ponzi schemers to corporate giants like Enron and Volkswagen. And fraud is costly. Each year, consumers, small businesses, governments, and corporations lose trillions of dollars to financial crime.
We're so accustomed to hearing about fraud that our abilities to identify it and speak about it are limited.
No more. In Fool Me Once, renowned forensic accounting expert Kelly Richmond Pope shows fraud in action, uncovering what makes perps tick, victims so gullible, and whistleblowers so morally righteous, while also encouraging us to look at our own behaviors and motivations in the hope of protecting ourselves and our companies.
By the time you finish this book, you'll have a better understanding of—and perhaps even compassion for—perpetrators, a renewed connection to victims, and an appreciation for those who blow the whistle.
Filled with fascinating stories and insightful analysis, Fool Me Once will open your eyes and challenge your thinking. It will inspire you to question your own preconceived notions about fraud. It will challenge your beliefs about yourself and other people. And it will help you understand a phenomenon that most of us fail to grasp—until it's too late.
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9781663725851
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Booklist Review
Addressing situations that grab news headlines far too often, Pope sheds light on the pervasive crime of fraud. Drawing heavily on her experience documenting the embezzling scheme of Rita Crundwell in Dixon, Illinois, and supplemented with an abundance of case studies gathered for her work teaching forensic accounting, Pope identifies various types of perpetrators, victims, and whistleblowers. An example is the accidental whistleblower discovering a coworker's fraudulent scheme while performing routine tasks, perhaps not realizing the significance of the discovery until asking a supervisor or colleague about the find. Perpetrators also present a range of behaviors, from financial wizards who never believe they will be caught to online shoppers who keep an item accidentally shipped along with the one ordered. While we wish to believe that victims of fraud are quite old, very inexperienced, or gullible, the truth is we all need to practice caution, primarily by paying attention to our bank statements, our pay stubs, and our investments. This engaging and enlightening book will be popular in business-school and public-library collections.
Booklist Reviews
Addressing situations that grab news headlines far too often, Pope sheds light on the pervasive crime of fraud. Drawing heavily on her experience documenting the embezzling scheme of Rita Crundwell in Dixon, Illinois, and supplemented with an abundance of case studies gathered for her work teaching forensic accounting, Pope identifies various types of perpetrators, victims, and whistleblowers. An example is the accidental whistleblower discovering a coworker's fraudulent scheme while performing routine tasks, perhaps not realizing the significance of the discovery until asking a supervisor or colleague about the find. Perpetrators also present a range of behaviors, from financial wizards who never believe they will be caught to online shoppers who keep an item accidentally shipped along with the one ordered. While we wish to believe that victims of fraud are quite old, very inexperienced, or gullible, the truth is we all need to practice caution, primarily by paying attention to our bank statements, our pay stubs, and our investments. This engaging and enlightening book will be popular in business-school and public-library collections. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.