Eighty accounting students participated in the hands-on workshop
ISHPEMING -- It takes IRS special agents an average of 18 months to solve a fraud case, but Tuesday, Westwood High School accounting students did it in just three hours.
"It was really interesting being able to figure it out ourselves and actually take part in seeing what the IRS actually does," says Desiree Tousignant.
Their mission: to find out if a small business owner is skimming money. How did they do it? They investigated the case using tools and equipment that real IRS agents use.
"The students become a special agent for the day," says IRS special agent Stephen Moore. "We have an informant come in and the students were able to question the informant."
Students dug through the trash for financial documents and even went undercover using a hidden camera.
"Students are exposed to some different areas of accounting, some careers that they maybe hadn't thought about if they decide to enter the accounting profession," says Ronalyn Arseneau, an accounting teacher at Westwood High School.
One student we spoke with says he's ready to apply.
"I talked to the people that were here," says Jacob Ogea. "They said there weren't a lot of jobs open now, but maybe in the near future, a couple years down the road, there will be some job openings."
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