Real life CSI: forensic accounting edition
Fraud, theft, false accounting. Financial crimes like these need special investigators, and Alison Coker is just that: a forensic accountant.
Forensic accounting is the process of profiling accounts, identifying and investigating suspect transactions and tracing how money was spent.
“But the purpose is to follow the trail of money, to identify any evidence of financial crime and present it in a format which is ready for court,” Alison says.
Alison started her career with a Bachelor of Commerce in applied finance and accountancy, before landing a job at major accounting firm KPMG.
She then worked for smaller accounting firms and gained practical skills that helped her land a job investigating allegations of police corruption.
Alison recommends applying for graduate and work experience programs. “It’s hard to know what you want to do straight off the bat. So you really need to have a taste test of different areas.”
Alison’s pathway
- Bachelor of Commerce, Griffith University
- Senior accountant, Audit, KPMG Australia
- Business services and audit manager, Armstrong Partners Chartered Accountants
- Forensic financial analyst, Office of Police Integrity
- Senior forensic accountant, Independent Commission Against Corruption
- Principal forensic accountant, Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner
This article was first published in Careers with STEM: Maths, and was produced in partnership with Macquarie University.
