The Impact of Forensic Accounting Techniques in Mitigating Electronic Fraud in Nigeria’s Deposit Money Banks

Abstract In this paper, we examined the impact of Forensic Accounting Techniques (Investigative Accounting, Digital Forensics, and Data Analytics) in mitigating Electronic Fraud (e-fraud) in Nigeria’s deposit money banks (DMBs). The study used a positivist deductive approach and was conducted quantitatively through an online survey. A stratified random sampling method was employed to select a sample of 95 respondents, representing eight ‘best-fit’ groups, including staff from operations, Information Technology, and Electronic Channel departments of five participating Deposit Money Banks, as well as accountants, auditors, representatives from bank regulators, professional accounting bodies, and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. The results showed that only investigative accounting is statistically significant in reducing electronic fraud within banks. In contrast, digital forensics and data analytics did not show statistical significance in mitigating electronic fraud, implying they do not reduce e-fraud severity. It is suggested that if the scope of data analytics were expanded, it could help mitigate e-fraud, as it shows significance at a 10% level. The findings also indicate that a more refined model, possibly a longitudinal study, could provide deeper insights into the effect of forensic accounting techniques in combating electronic fraud within Nigeria’s Deposit Money Banks.