CTHRepealedLegislation
ASA 240 - The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of a Financial Report - October 2009
Characteristics of FraudCharacteristics of Fraud
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Characteristics of Fraud
- Misstatements in the financial report can arise from either fraud or error. The distinguishing factor between fraud and error is whether the underlying action that results in the misstatement of the financial report is intentional or unintentional.
- Although fraud is a broad legal concept, for the purposes of the Australian Auditing Standards, the auditor is concerned with fraud that causes a material misstatement in the financial report. Two types of intentional misstatements are relevant to the auditor – misstatements resulting from fraudulent financial reporting and misstatements resulting from misappropriation of assets. Although the auditor may suspect or, in rare cases, identify the occurrence of fraud, the auditor does not make legal determinations of whether fraud has actually occurred. (Ref: Para. A1‑A7)