A West Virginia University professor recently spoke in Mexico City to more than 200 fraud investigators, government officials and accounting professionals at a seminar on fighting fraud.

Scott Fleming , assistant professor of accounting in the College of Business and Economics , gave the keynote speech at theUnited Against Fraud and Crimeseminar organized by the Mexican chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Originally slated as a primary speaker for the second day of the conference, he was asked to move to the first day because the original speaker, José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, was killed in a plane crash with Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino the week before the seminar. Vasconcelos was the former deputy attorney general and one of Mexicos top experts on the fight against narcotics traffickers.

I was asked to fill in for Mr. Vasconcelos after the tragic plane crash the week before,Fleming said.It was a sad circumstance, but I was given the opportunity to present additional materials. I was also able to highlight our states university in another country and to raise awareness of our unique position the field of forensic accounting and fraud investigation.

Fleming described the psychological aspects of both those who commit and detect fraud and told the audience about WVU s efforts in forensic accounting and fraud investigation education.

WVU has a widely recognized program in that field and sponsors an international conference on the subject each year. The fourth annual Fraud and Forensic Accounting conference will be July 10-12 in Las Vegas.

The University also has a summer eight-week graduate certificate program in forensic accounting and holds a six-week workshop on forensic accounting for Internal Revenue Service agents each fall.

Fleming said he has been asked by officials in Mexico to take part in an alliance between WVU and the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de México to promote research exchange and training programs.

Fleming may be contacted at 304-293-7896 or ” Scott.Fleming@mail.wvu.edu rel=nofollow> Scott.Fleming@mail.wvu.edu .

p.