Almost all small businesses will be a victim of fraud at some time during their existence. Its not a matter of if fraud will happen, but when fraud will occur. This course is designed for individuals who would like to obtain a basic understanding of how fraud affects small businesses. We will discuss various types of frauds and how the criminals commit the frauds. We will review some of the legal and ethical implications involved. Examples of real-world cases will be provided to help develop an understanding of the risks involved. Participants will be introduced to the fraud triangle and occupational fraud with an emphasis on fraud in small businesses. We will review internal controls that can help to prevent and detect fraud in small businesses.
Publication Date: November 2025
Designed For
This course would be appropriate for small business owners, employees in small businesses, CPAs, CFEs, auditors, bookkeepers, loan officers, and others working with small businesses.
Topics Covered
- Fraud Theories
- Fraud Statistics
- Small Business Frauds
- Accounts Payable Fraud Risks
- Phishing Fraud Risks
- Criminals Are Using AI
Learning Objectives
- Identify how fraud affects small businesses
- Identify the methodologies for detecting fraud in small businesses
- Identify internal controls to help prevent and detect fraud
- Identify various occupational fraud schemes
- Identify red flags for fraud
Level
Basic
Instructional Method
Self-Study
NASBA Field of Study
Accounting (2 hours)
Program Prerequisites
None
Advance Preparation
None
Instructor
Robert K Minniti
DBA, CPA, CFE, Cr.FA, CVA, MAFF, CFF, CGMA, PI
Dr. Minniti is the President and Owner of Minniti CPA, LLC. Dr. Minniti is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Forensic Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Valuation Analyst, Certified in Financial Forensics, Master Analyst in Financial Forensics, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and is a licensed private investigator in the state of Arizona.
Dr. Minniti received his doctoral degree in business administration from Walden University, received his MBA degree and Graduate Certificate in Accounting from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management, and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. Dr. Minniti taught graduate and undergraduate courses in forensic accounting at DeVry University, Grand Canyon University, Kaplan University, Northwestern University, and the University of Phoenix. He designed graduate and undergraduate courses for Grand Canyon University, Northwestern University, and Anthem College.
He is a writer and public speaker. He has experience in forensic accounting, fraud examinations, financial audits, internal audits, compliance audits, real estate valuations, business valuations, internal control development, business continuation planning, risk management, cyber security, privacy laws, data security, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance work and business consulting. In addition to his practice Dr. Minniti is an instructor teaching continuing professional education classes for a variety of providers and CPA Societies.
Dr. Minniti is currently serving as a board member on the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts' (NACVA) Litigation Forensics Board (LFB) and as a committee member on the Arizona State Board of Accountancy's Law Review Advisory Committee.