Unsupervised Outlier Detection in Audit Analytics: A Case Study Using USA Spending Data

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Li, Buhe, Kaplan, Berkay, Lazirko, Maksym, Kogan, Aleksandr
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Li, Buhe
Kaplan, Berkay
Lazirko, Maksym
Kogan, Aleksandr
author_facet Li, Buhe
Kaplan, Berkay
Lazirko, Maksym
Kogan, Aleksandr
contents This study investigates the effectiveness of unsupervised outlier detection methods in audit analytics, utilizing USA spending data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as a case example. We employ and compare multiple outlier detection algorithms, including Histogram-based Outlier Score (HBOS), Robust Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Minimum Covariance Determinant (MCD), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) to identify anomalies in federal spending patterns. The research addresses the growing need for efficient and accurate anomaly detection in large-scale governmental datasets, where traditional auditing methods may fall short. Our methodology involves data preparation, algorithm implementation, and performance evaluation using precision, recall, and F1 scores. Results indicate that a hybrid approach, combining multiple detection strategies, enhances the robustness and accuracy of outlier identification in complex financial data. This study contributes to the field of audit analytics by providing insights into the comparative effectiveness of various outlier detection models and demonstrating the potential of unsupervised learning techniques in improving audit quality and efficiency. The findings have implications for auditors, policymakers, and researchers seeking to leverage advanced analytics in governmental financial oversight and risk management.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_19366
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Unsupervised Outlier Detection in Audit Analytics: A Case Study Using USA Spending Data
Li, Buhe
Kaplan, Berkay
Lazirko, Maksym
Kogan, Aleksandr
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
This study investigates the effectiveness of unsupervised outlier detection methods in audit analytics, utilizing USA spending data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as a case example. We employ and compare multiple outlier detection algorithms, including Histogram-based Outlier Score (HBOS), Robust Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Minimum Covariance Determinant (MCD), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) to identify anomalies in federal spending patterns. The research addresses the growing need for efficient and accurate anomaly detection in large-scale governmental datasets, where traditional auditing methods may fall short. Our methodology involves data preparation, algorithm implementation, and performance evaluation using precision, recall, and F1 scores. Results indicate that a hybrid approach, combining multiple detection strategies, enhances the robustness and accuracy of outlier identification in complex financial data. This study contributes to the field of audit analytics by providing insights into the comparative effectiveness of various outlier detection models and demonstrating the potential of unsupervised learning techniques in improving audit quality and efficiency. The findings have implications for auditors, policymakers, and researchers seeking to leverage advanced analytics in governmental financial oversight and risk management.
title Unsupervised Outlier Detection in Audit Analytics: A Case Study Using USA Spending Data
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.19366