This article describes how cooking the books with fake revenue and profits to deceive investors and auditors to prop up the value of the listed company share price and undermine the integrity of the financial markets.
The risk is not limited to auditors. In fact the entire accounting profession can be impacted if senior management are the ones deciding to cook the books. Many employees tend to cast any doubts aside and simply follow the instructions from their bosses blindly and could inadvertently be roped into potentially unlawful activities. Employees must always be on guard, know the operating environment well and educate themselves on the rules and regulations. If there any doubt about anything that one is asked to do, it is best to think carefully before taking any action.