CPE week for financial professionals focuses on fraud

The increasing pressure from today’s devastated economy, combined with headline news about financial scams has created a concerned public. It has also created a public that needs to rely on professional, ethical and educated financial professionals more than ever.

Through its annual Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Week, begining Tuesday, June 2, and concluding Saturday, June 6, Oakland University’s School of Business Administration offers financial professionals the opportunity to update their skills and earn CE credits. Catering especially to certified public accountants, management accounts and internal auditors as well as other accounting and finance professionals, this year’s program offers a special tax fraud panel discussion and networking reception from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, June 4.

One of the most-established CE events in the industry, this year’s program focuses on fraud with 13 two-hour sessions on topics straight from the business headlines. Topics include “How not to investigate suspected fraud: Forensic mistakes that lose cases,” “Implications of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” “Fraud Prevention” and “Data-Driven Fraud Detection.”

The tax fraud panel session and networking reception, co-sponsored by Cooley Law School and the State Bar of Michigan Taxation Section, focuses what to do if a client is a criminal.

Expert speakers Professor Alan M. Gershel, former chief criminal division United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan; Sandi Carter, assistant special agent in charge, criminal division, Detroit field office; and Richard E. Zuckerman, J.D., senior partner, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn LLP, will highlight methods the IRS uses to refer cases for criminal prosecution, indicators the IRS uses to select criminal cases, cues a tax practitioner should recognize when a case is in the criminal referral process, advice for interactions with administrative and criminal personnel at the IRS and privilege issues.

There is no general registration fee for the program, so participants pay for the individual sessions they need. Register before May 15 for $45 per session and after May 15 the price climbs to $50 each. For a description of all the sessions or to register online using Visa, MasterCard or online checking, visit www.sba.oakland.edu/ce/cpeweekend.