WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | GSU Students Train To Stop Financial Fraud
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A new program at Georgia Southern University teaches students how to catch those types of crooks.
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) - Few people think of bookkeepers and accountants as detectives. But more and more criminals use computers instead of guns to steal from others. A new program at Georgia Southern University teaches students how to catch those types of crooks.
Even as a college student, Brandi Odom has heard about embezzlement, fraud and white collar crime. That's why she and others study forensic accounting.
"It's basically the CSI of business and I'm interested in catching the bad guys before they can do more than they've done," explained Odom, a senior from Metter.
They spent this week with IRS agents learning the latest schemes and how to stop them. In one, an agent pretended to be a shady tax accountant who promised fake deductions and big returns. But next door, students took notes from a hidden camera and decided how to build their case. Outside, an agent pitched his can't-miss plan to avoid paying taxes as an assistant passed out flyers for his seminars.
"They are valid scenarios of crimes that are going on in the world around us," stated IRS supervisory special agent Lisa Holtz.
Holts said crooked executives rob more than just their company when they embezzle from them. It hurts, stockholders, investors, retirees with 401K's. The ripple effect is huge.
The IRS takes the program to colleges nationwide to show interested students who study business or criminal justice. GSU teachers called this a great lesson.
"The theory we can teach in a classroom until the cows come home," promised Dr. Ron Shiffler, dean of GSU's College of Business Administration. "You can't exactly walk into Enron and say 'we'd like to show our students how they did it here'. You don't get much practice on white collar crime."
With advice from today's field agents, the students can get ready to solve the crimes of tomorrow.
The students will take their cases from this week to a grand jury on Monday to grade their work. Georgia Southern is one of the few schools in the country to offer specific courses in forensic and fraud accounting
Reported by Dal Cannady, dcannady@wtoc.com
