ABSTRACT

This study  examines  the  application of forensic  accounting in the  detection  pnd control of fraud  in deposit money  banks in Nigeria. The main objective of the study  was to examine  the  application of forensic accounting in the detection and control offraud  in deposit money banks.  However, the specific objectives were to examine 'the  use of forensic accounting skills and techniques in uncovering fraud in deposit money banks, to ascertain the  influence of forensic accounting skills anq techniques in reducing fraud in deposit money banks and to ascertain if forensic accounting will curb fraudulent  activities in   .. deposit money banks.   The study covers 60 employees of 3 different banks; the population was small hence the sample size was the same  as the population size. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analysis and correlation coefficient were used in testing various variables in the research hypothesis and relevant questions in the study. In the first hypothesis, the result revealed that forensic accounting skills and techniques have a significant effect  in uncovering fraud  in deposit money  banks. In  the second hypothesis, the study revealed that forensic accounting skills and techniques have a significant influence in fraud reduction in deposit money banks.  The third hypothesis showed that forensic accounting can be used to curb fraudulent  activities in deposit money banks.  The findings revealed that fraud investigation impacts mainly on fraud prevention  through probing suspect's financial performance and looking into alleged fraud or illegal activity. It is therefore concluded that forensic accounting has significant impact on deposit money banks' financial transparency in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommended  that a forensic accountant should always be present to set up the bank's internal control to reduce the chances of fraud.