| Taken from the name itself, a fraud investigator is | | | | job can be very high and requires a great deal of |
| responsible for identifying frauds in all of its forms. | | | | dedication, intelligence and attention to even the |
| Depending on the position and company that you want | | | | smallest details. |
| to enter, the skills, background and educational | | | | Most of the forensic accountants today start their |
| requirements will also vary. In essence, fraud | | | | careers off by joining auditing firms thereby increasing |
| investigators fall under one of the major three | | | | their knowledge and experience base. During this time, |
| categories which are financial industry, consumer | | | | they also start to undergo other trainings that can |
| protection, and forensic accounting. | | | | further prepare them for the job later on. |
| Applying as a financial investigator would necessarily | | | | Fraud investigators can also work in consumer |
| mean that you have an educational background or | | | | protection agencies within the government, including |
| degree in business or accounting as well as additional | | | | police departments. Consumer frauds include; |
| certification in finance, investigation and even auditing. | | | | investigation of phone scams, email scams, counterfeit |
| Also, most companies require that you have sufficient | | | | goods and passing themselves as legitimate, and theft. |
| experience in order to qualify for the position. Five | | | | Every time an individual reports a fraud, it falls into the |
| years is the minimum requirement in terms of | | | | hands of fraud investigators to provide thorough |
| experience and may differ from one company to | | | | investigation and timely resolution. |
| another. | | | | To become a fraud investigator, the person needs to |
| Other additional requirements you need to fulfill in order | | | | have a sufficient background in business, and additional |
| to get into a particular company as financial | | | | training in investigation and research. They must also |
| investigator would include a complete background | | | | have the skills to deal with various individuals as the |
| check as well as completion of the necessary training | | | | ability to collect information regardless of pressure. |
| in terms of financial fraud determination. As mentioned, | | | | There are different industries fraud investigators can |
| the requirement will vary from one company to the | | | | enter. So research must be done in order to find out |
| next, so it would be best to contact the company | | | | what degree the individual needs for his desired |
| personally for more information. | | | | industry. |
| Forensic accountants on the other hand, work for | | | | The demands for fraud investigators usually never |
| government agencies or large accounting firms. | | | | wane as more and more companies are in the need |
| They're responsible for making detailed analysis and | | | | for them. So if you think that this is the job for you, do |
| evidence collection required for court cases. The | | | | the proper research as early as now to make the |
| position will entail long hours of meticulous and laborious | | | | application process easier in the future. I will also ask |
| work. | | | | you to visit sites that cover this profession in more |
| Forensic accountants are usually required to have their | | | | detail. |
| certificate of completion and must be able to | | | | Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. |
| successfully complete the CFE or Certified Fraud | | | | The only condition is that the links should be clickable. |
| Examiner training. The educational requirements for this | | | | |