Caroline, a fraud examiner, is conducting an admission-seeking interview with John, an employee suspected of...

The Fraud Examiners Manual states that admission-seeking interviews should avoid yes/no questions like “Did you steal the money?” because they encourage denials. Instead, the question should be phrased as if guilt has already been established. The Manual explicitly warns:

“The accusation should be made in the form of a statement; it should not be made in the form of a question… Avoid emotive words such as steal, fraud, and crime… Example: ‘It is not so much a question of what you did, but why you did it.’”

Thus, the most effective admission-seeking phrasing is: “Why did you take the money?” because it presumes involvement and encourages explanation rather than denial.