June 2023
Case
HBS Case Collection

Dan McCrum - Unmasking Wirecard

By: Jonas Heese, Charles C.Y. Wang, Tonia Labruyere and Carlota Moniz

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:35

Abstract

Dan McCrum, an investigative journalist for the Financial Times, had spent the past six years fighting to expose German payment processing firm Wirecard. The company had enjoyed years of exponential growth and was viewed by several investors as the poster child of Germany's tech sector. But to McCrum something smelled fishy and he couldn't help but wonder if Wirecard's true dealings weren't just hidden behind its complex business model. He started chronicling his suspicions of mass scale accounting fraud in his articles, but he could never had expected this would make him the target of several cyber attacks, spy operations and legal procedures. In June 2020, as Wirecard crumbles, McCrum reflects on his journey.

Keywords

Crime and Corruption; Accounting; Financial Services Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; Germany

Citation

Heese, Jonas, Charles C.Y. Wang, Tonia Labruyere, and Carlota Moniz. "Dan McCrum - Unmasking Wirecard." Harvard Business School Case 123-098, June 2023.