The subject of this study is the use of analytical procedures in the detection of fraud in financial statements. The paper deals with the phenomenon of creative accounting and the concept of accounting forensics. The use of analytical procedures in the detection of fraud in financial statements is addressed through the presentation of known techniques used in fraudulent financial reporting, which are specifically divided into three categories: fraudulent financial reporting in the balance sheet, fraudulent financial reporting in the profit and loss account, and fraudulent financial reporting in cash flow statement. Understanding the impact of fraudulent financial reporting on financial statements, as well as the interconnectedness of financial statements, is a necessary basis for the purposeful use of analytical procedures in accounting forensics. Domestic and foreign scientific and professional literature was used for the purposes of this thesis, as well as ACFE's "Report to the Nations" for 2022 and the first version of the same at the national level - the report "How do we steal?" compiled by the Croatian ACFE branch. The practical treatment of the topic is limited to already discovered cases of fraud in financial reporting. In the practical part of the work, the case of "WorldCom" is presented, which is mostly focused on the impact of cost capitalization on financial statements, especially on the cash flow statement. The presentation of the "WorldCom" case additionally emphasizes the importance of understanding financial statements as a basis for the correct and purposeful use of analytical procedures in the detection of fraud in financial statements.