A timely wake-up call In today's high-stakes financial landscape, the role of forensic accounting is getting redefined —not by fraud in the traditional sense, but by subtle manipulations that quietly undermine transparency, trust, and fairvaluation. Our recent investigations reveal troubling trends where organisations prioritise visibility over authenticity,particularly when navigating capital markets.
Accounting under pressure
As companies prepare for IPOs or private funding rounds, accounting decisions become unusually strategic, andsometimes, deceptive:
- Capital market vulnerability: Pressure to present attractive financials tempts firms to bend accountingnorms, risking derailment of IPOs under regulatory scrutiny.
- Selective accounting: Private capital raises see questionable accounting choices — earnings management,biased policy application, and misrepresentation of results to meet investor expectations.
- Competitive distortion: Company management may engage in accounting "jugglery" to portray a successstory, to appear at par with industry peers, while actuals tell a different story.
- Deferred transparency: Suppression of both financial and non-financial disclosures, that could affectvaluations, is alarmingly routine. Adverse news is strategically postponed for more "palatable" reportingwindows.
- Insider advantage: The modern menace is not embezzlement — it is insider exploitation of financial data.Regulators are scrutinising ESOP trading and market plays based on undisclosed accounting effects morediligently now.
Behavioural red flags: What to watch out for
There are subtle signs that could hint at underlying manipulation:
- Uncanny accuracy: Consistently hitting financial targets with precision suggests "earnings smoothing" orusage of "cookie jar" reserves.
- Journal entry volume: Excessive manual entries at period-end in automated environments may indicatesigns of inappropriate reversals or manipulations.
- Poor documentation: Lack of justification for accounting changes, especially mid-period, raises suspicion.
- Vendor advances: Disproportionate advances at period-end could be attempts to shift expenses out of the current period.
Unusual account movements: Transactions between logically disconnected accounts — for example,expenses moved between expense heads, movement within asset or liability or income or expense heads —signal possible earnings management or larger financial statement fraud.
Best practices: Protecting integrity in financial reporting
To combat these challenges and uphold credibility, organisations must adopt robust governance:
- Stricter journal controls: Period-end entries should undergo heightened scrutiny and approval, distinctfrom routine accounting.
- Change justification protocol: All accounting changes must be transparent and pass the "smell test"—timing and motive should be justified, not just technically aligned.
- Prioritise automation: Organisations should limit manual interventions by maintaining journals that areminimal, pre-approved, and subject to strict monitoring.
- Monitor account pairing: Unconventional ledger combinations that defy accounting principles or seemengineered to shape optics should be tracked and questioned.
- Skeptical oversight during high stakes: When facing IPOs or market downturns, teams must challengeaccounting decisions more rigorously — protecting not just investors, but reputations.
Therefore, the forensic accountant's role now extends beyond chasing fraudulent trails — it is about preemptingfinancial manipulation before it warps reality. In this high risk and high stakes world we live in, every company mustreassert its foundational purpose — delivering truth, not tailoring perceptions.
This article first appeared in the Taxmann on 5th September 2025.
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