Examining the Role of Accountant’s Knowledge of Forensic Accounting, Corporate Governance Policies and Fraud Awareness Training in Preventing Fraud: A Survey of Indian Corporates

Corporate fraud remains a persistent problem that highlights the need for improved internal control and governance. Research on corporate governance (CG) and forensic accounting (FA) has been largely performed as separate studies. Little has been done to look at how accountants’ knowledge and the specific training of accountants in fraud awareness for their company’s leaders affect preventing fraud (FP). The study surveyed 150 accountants in India from April 2023 to May 2024. The results are based on Chi-Square testing and binary logistic regression. The study investigated how companies in India incorporate CG policy understanding and FG use for KMP and boards and how these factors affect FP. The findings indicate that understanding CG, using FA, and having specific training on fraud awareness for KMPs and boards of directors are all significant factors in reducing the occurrence of fraud. In addition, general employee training has no impact on FP. The theories of agency, stakeholder, and fraud triangle were combined to create one model to provide guidance to both organizations and regulators on how to institutionalize FG and to improve transparency in governance.