Chapter 10: Inquiry Methods
Purchasing Fraud
increased amounts of purchases from on vendor
Unnecessary purchases
Purchases of goods at increased prices
Prices significantly higher than the vendor’s competitors
Fake employee
Where is the company’s headquarters located?
What is the address and telephone number of your office?
What companies do you sell the product to?
3 types of interviewees
friendly,
Neutral
Hostile
End interview on a positive note ---- you may need to reach out to the person again
5 step reaction to a crisis
Denial
buffer
Anger
fear
Rationalization
Depression
Acceptance
New Equilibrium
Bud’s comment we use Anger to mask Fear
Chuck’s sermons look at the various parties
-everyone, not just the Perp, go thru DARDA
Perpetrator
Victim
Co-workers
Supervisor / managers
Note in the book – the story is more about the manager(s) than the perpetrator
the perpetrator’s managers tried to deny his actions avoidance
Anger – are you rational when you are angry?
What emotion does anger usually generate in others?
A self-feeding cycle
Depression
Acceptance
The Supervisor
Types of pressures
financial pressure
Vise pressures
Work-related pressures
Other pressures
spent life savings
cocaine and alcohol
Symptoms
Accounting Anomalies
Internal Control weaknesses
Analytical Anomalies
Extravagant Lifestyle
Unusual Behavior
Tips and Complaints
A customer complaint triggered the investigation
Unusual behavior
Lost his family -- divorce??
Frequent mood swings
Frequent tardiness and absences
Interviews prepare – prepare - prepare
Know as much as possible about the offense
Know as much as possible about the interviewee
Remember not all interviewees are suspects,
some may just have information to move the investigation forward
5 types of questions
Introductory
Informational
Closed
Open
leading
Assessment
Assess the truthfulness of their answers
Closing
Do you know anyone else I should talk with?
Is there anything I forgot to ask you that is relevant?
Can I talk to you again if the need arises?
End on a positive note
Admission-Seeking
Inhibitors of Communication
It is the interviewer’s responsibility, not the interviewee’s responsibility, to
remove the inhibitors of communication
A bunch of environmental inhibitors; time, place, etiquette, confusion
Interviewer
Clear, concise questions
Don’t talk down to them
Don’t condemn
Their Ego
 Repression --- have they repressed the info or truly forgotten
 Disapproval – don’t condemn, be accepting
 Loss of status
Facilitators of Communication
Expectations –
 expect that the interviewee will cooperate and be honest
 state that you anticipate that the interviewee will cooperate and
 answer questions truthfully
When you change the way you look at things,
The things you look at change
New experience for the interviewee
Catharsis --- you need to listen
Focus on their answer --- rather than the next question you are going to ask
Mechanics
 In private --- out of sight of friends and co-workers
 State the purpose of the general purpose of the interview without being specific
or accusatory
 Ask for help (assistance)
 Get a commitment for cooperation
 Get a commitment for truthful answers
 Non sensitive questions first
o Move from non sensitive to sensitive
 Agree wherever you can
 Ask some questions where it easy for them to say YES
P 289 --- Informational Questions
 Begin by asking questions that are unlikely to cause respondents to become
defensive or hostile
 Ask questions in a manner that develops the facts in the order of their occurrence
or in some other systematic order
 Ask one question at a time, and frame the question so that only one answer is
required
 Ask straightforward and frank questions (don’t try to be shrewd)
 Give respondents ample time to answer; do not rush
 Try to help respondents remember without suggesting answers
 Repeat or rephrase questions, if necessary, to get the desired facts
 Be sure you understand the answers. If they are not perfectly clear, have
respondents interpret them at that time instead of saving this for later
 Give respondents an opportunity to qualify their answers
 Separate facts from inferences
 Have respondents give comparisons by percentages, fractions, estimates of time
and distance, and other such comparisons to ascertain accuracy
 Get all of the facts: almost every respondent can give you information beyond
what was initially provided
 After respondents give a narrative account, ask questions about the items
discussed
 Upon concluding the direct questioning, summarize the facts and have
respondents verify that summary is correct
Destruction of evidence is a risk