Casino investigations are a specialty in financial investigation training. Casinos regularly handle large amounts of money, and are governed by many federal and state regulations. Financial investigation training for casinos includes courses on how to meet government data collection requirements for the casino as well as for individual employees. According to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, courses explain revenue thresholds for Internal Revenue Service investigations, requirements about storing a minimum bankroll for the casino, and licensing security guards that watch the casino floor.
Background checks are important in financial investigation training. Detectives learn how to check an individual's credit and perform interviews with other staff and managers. Financial investigators learn about methods such as skip traces, when a suspect is tracked down to collect debts. Training includes cooperation with law enforcement and determining whether a suspect has connections with organized crime groups.
Computers are used as tools in some types of fraud. Financial investigation training includes information on Internet purchases, as well as the electronic storage and transfer of money. Investigators learn about bookkeeping and financial software that record information about online purchases. According to Utica College, financial investigation training also includes information on how to detect and catch hackers who try to steal information and money directly through computer systems, and the design of internal controls for computer networks to record and prevent unauthorized access.
Foreign countries are included in financial investigation training. Organizations such as casinos may operate offshore because of location restrictions. Businesses often have foreign subsidiaries to reduce their tax burden and evade financial reporting requirements. Training courses explain how to perform audits that include investigations in other countries, including financial legislation in other countries. Courses cover wire transfers, credit card transactions, and other ways to send money across borders.
Evidence collection and storage is necessary for financial investigations. Training includes information on database software such as Microsoft Access, as well as bookkeeping software such as Intuit's Quickbooks. Each step of a computer transaction leaves a stored record, so the financial investigator learns to check the bank's stored data, a suspect's computer, and the company's official records to track discrepancies. Account reconciliations ensure that transaction records stored in different locations match.