Influence of Fraud Related Problem Representation on Knowledge Requirement and Fraud Risk Assessment

Many cases of fraud and corrupt practices are being thrown out of court for lack of merit and abuse of court processes in Nigeria, and thus, become a source of concern to the public and the government. This paper seeks to examine the influence of fraud related problem representation (FRPR) on fraud risk assessment task performance (TPFRA) and knowledge requirement (KR) of forensic accountant and auditor in the public sector environment. The study design is cross-sectional and the respondents are professional people, that is, accountants and auditors. The results of the present study produced from PLS-SEM confirm the direct relationship of KR on TPFRA and FRPR. Similarly, the results support the mediating influence of FRPR on KR and TPFRA in respect of fraud detection, prevention and response. The implication of this study is that the results have the potentials to create awareness of the significance of KR among the auditors and accountants in the public sector domain. In addition, it will help to improve the understanding of fraud schemes and fraudsters techniques by regulatory authorities and the judiciary in any developing nation