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The future of financial fraud

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  • Karpoff, Jonathan M.
Abstract
Is financial fraud becoming a bigger or smaller problem over time? Current empirical approaches to this question generate mixed inferences. As an alternative, I use two theoretical constructs that isolate several factors that motivate fraud, and use them to consider the impact of technological and wealth changes over time. Some changes, such as an increase in anonymity in some financial transactions, facilitate new fraud innovations and increase the possibility of fraud. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdown has fostered major disruptions in relative demands and organizational capital that also increase the likelihood of fraud over the next few years. Viewed over a longer time scale, however, the majority of technological and wealth changes seem likely to increase the use and effectiveness of reputational capital, third-party enforcement, and ethical motivations as fraud deterrents. I predict that, on net, these changes will drive a long-term decrease in the incidence of fraud.

Suggested Citation

  • Karpoff, Jonathan M., 2021. "The future of financial fraud," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:66:y:2021:i:c:s0929119920301383
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101694
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bashir Ahmad & Maria Ciupac-Ulici & Daniela-Georgeta Beju, 2021. "Economic and Non-Economic Variables Affecting Fraud in European Countries," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Zaman, Rashid, 2024. "When corporate culture matters: The case of stakeholder violations," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    4. Hamed Taherdoost, 2021. "A Review on Risk Management in Information Systems: Risk Policy, Control and Fraud Detection," Post-Print hal-03741848, HAL.
    5. Bao, Xin & Han, Meini & Lau, Raymond & Xu, Xiaowei, 2024. "Corporate integrity culture and credit rating assessment," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Hutton, Irena & Knill, April M. & Zutter, Chad J., 2021. "25 years and counting of corporate finance: What have we learned and where are we going?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Yunchuan Sun & Xiaoping Zeng & Ying Xu & Hong Yue & Xipu Yu, 2024. "An intelligent detecting model for financial frauds in Chinese A‐share market," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(2), pages 1110-1136, July.
    8. Li, Xiaodan & Pan, Zikui & Ho, Kung-Cheng & Bo, Yu, 2024. "Epidemics, local institutional quality, and corporate cash holdings," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 193-210.
    9. Wang, Yang & Ashton, John K. & Jaafar, Aziz, 2023. "Financial statement fraud, recidivism and punishment," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    10. Mia Hang Pham & Harvey Nguyen & Martin Young & Anh Dao, 2024. "Who Keeps Company with the Wolf will Learn to Howl: Does Local Corruption Culture Affect Financial Adviser Misconduct?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 185-210, September.
    11. Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Who Became Victims of Financial Frauds during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Hartmann, Andre J. & Gangl, Katharina & Kasper, Matthias & Kirchler, Erich & Kocher, Martin G. & Mueller, Martin & Sonntag, Axel, 2022. "The economic crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on tax compliance: Results from a scenario study in Austria," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    13. Bernales, Alejandro & Beuermann, Diether W. & Cumming, Douglas & Olid, Christian, 2023. "Blue-Collar Crime and Finance," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    14. Chen, Fengwen & Wang, Bing & Wang, Wei & Hu, Chen, 2024. "The secret of imitating wrongdoing: Accidental or deliberate," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    15. Rashid Zaman & Nader Atawnah & Muhammad Nadeem & Stephen Bahadar & Irfan Haider Shakri, 2022. "Do liquid assets lure managers? Evidence from corporate misconduct," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(7-8), pages 1425-1453, July.
    16. Maria Tragouda & Michalis Doumpos & Constantin Zopounidis, 2024. "Identification of fraudulent financial statements through a multi‐label classification approach," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial misconduct; Fraud; Trust; Reputation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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