►EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  1) THREE DIFFERENT QUICKBOOKS FILES IN 30 DAYS — EACH ONE A NEW LIE: First file didn't match the CIM. "Wrong one, sorry." Second file was missing two-thirds of payroll. "Oh, we have a separate QB for that." By the third swap, it was clear: this seller was rewriting financials in real time to match whatever questions I asked. 2) THE MOVING TARGET SCAM: ANSWER TODAY'S QUESTION, CHANGE TOMORROW'S DATA: If a seller keeps shifting their QuickBooks, they're not correcting mistakes — they're engineering answers. As long as each new file addresses your latest concern, you'll never catch the full picture. It's financial whack-a-mole, and you're losing. 3) QUICKBOOKS SHOULD BE BORING AND CLOSED — IF IT'S NOT, RUN: Accounting systems are conservative by design. Monthly closes exist for a reason. If financials are moving around during diligence like a shell game, don't walk — sprint. No legitimate business needs three versions of truth in one month.