• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.561-573
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• 2022

This study aims to obtain empirical evidence of the absence of testing the effect of professional ethics, emotional intelligence, and internal auditor performance on professional skepticism. According to this study, internal auditors can use professional skepticism to better understand red flag fraud. Questionnaires were used as the research instruments in this study. The participants included 186 auditors. Using structural equation modeling, this study confirms the hypothesis. The results show that the application of professional ethics and emotional intelligence has a positive effect on professional skepticism. The findings show that 1) professional skepticism can improve internal auditors' understanding of the red flags of fraud, 2) professional ethical norms influence how people behave and accomplish jobs, and 3) how constructive findings are produced by an audit procedure that adheres to the requirements of an audit expert, not just an espionage agent trained to infiltrate. As a result, internal auditors' higher performance in performing functions as a building agent rather than a secret agent like intelligence can be attributed to this. This study provides evidence that 1) not only does the use of professional ethics increase professional skepticism, but high emotional intelligence also plays a role, and 2) professional skepticism can improve internal auditors' understanding of red flags of fraud.