F/u sorta to odd dream job: fraud accountant

prideeinpynk · August 2010

I know there are some accountants lurking around here so I figured I'd ask a career related question and see if I get any bites.

Does anyone here work in fraud analysis or investigation? I'm working on my accounting degree and am in the middle of a class on it, and I'm getting that little tug in my brain that it telling me to look into pursuing something along this line. Catching bad guys through numbers sounds fun to me, oddly enough.

If so, how did you get into it? What kind of training/degrees do you have? Do you enjoy your job?

zippityb · August 2010

I think the FBI hires people like this. We had an FBI recruiter come to campus, and I think an Accounting degree is all they require.

prideeinpynk · August 2010

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of looking into but I wasn't sure if maybe I also needed some sort of criminal justice background.

ETA: Just looked it up on their website. Need a four year degree and three years of work experience, and be under 37 for some reason. So I still have some years to qualify!

I've written to the local chapter of certified fraud examiners to ask if there's anyone who I could sort of interview on the subject, so hopefully something comes from there. But I also like answers from you girls simply because you all are honest and so helpful!

SarahPLiz · August 2010

I wanted to do the same when I got out of school, but I was in a relationship (that I should have run away from) so I didn't go the FBI route because of travel. I was stupid.

Last week I received my Certified Fraud Examiner designation. I don't work directly with fraud examination (except we have a potential investigation as of yesterday), but I have investigated a couple in the past. You can be a CFE without being a CPA, and just need to graduate college before you take the certificaiton course. I, of course, would advise some job experience in the area first.

I went into auditing first, and I learned more my first year working than I did during my 4 years of getting an accounting degree and passing my CPA exam.

Fraud examination is a growing field, and you will certainly be able to find related employment in external or internal auditing, law enforcement, government or consulting for PIs and attorneys. Experience is the key, though.

FWIW, I am so excited about taking a workshop interview techniques. I am already very familiar with forensic accounting and fraud schemes, so it is the human element (the interview/interrogation) that is really intriguing me.

pirategal03 · August 2010

Your State Auditor's office likely has a fraud investigative team or two, that might be a good place to get some experience before applying with the FBI.

prideeinpynk · August 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_fu-sorta-odd-dream-job-fraud-accountant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:dfa294b8-097a-4229-afa3-540f1bd7b2daPost:654935e2-e76d-44aa-a480-425c3a38711d">Re: F/u sorta to odd dream job: fraud accountant</a>:
[QUOTE]I wanted to do the same when I got out of school, but I was in a relationship (that I should have run away from) so I didn't go the FBI route because of travel. I was stupid. Last week I received my Certified Fraud Examiner designation. I don't work directly with fraud examination (except we have a potential investigation as of yesterday), but I have investigated a couple in the past. You can be a CFE without being a CPA, and just need to graduate college before you take the certificaiton course. I, of course, would advise some job experience in the area first. I went into auditing first, and I learned more my first year working than I did during my 4 years of getting an accounting degree and passing my CPA exam. Fraud examination is a growing field, and you will certainly be able to find related employment in external or internal auditing, law enforcement, government or consulting for PIs and attorneys. Experience is the key, though. FWIW, I am so excited about taking a workshop interview techniques. I am already very familiar with forensic accounting and fraud schemes, so it is the human element (the interview/interrogation) that is really intriguing me.
Posted by SarahPLiz[/QUOTE]

So did you just get a bachelor's degree in accounting or did you do any graduate work as well? How'd you first get into auditing?

And congrats on your certification! :D

LesPaul · August 2010

I have a friend who is an FBI agent and does forensic accounting work. She just got her MBA (but a bachelor's will do). She started working for the government in the Defense Audit Agency, and from there applied for the FBI. She loves the work, and is very satisfied there.

SarahPLiz · August 2010

I have a BBA in Accounting. My degree plan for my bachelors was 150 hours (instead of the normal 120 something), so I was qualified to sit for the CPA exam right when I graduated, except I happened to graduate the day of the May exam and I couldn't take it until my degree was actually conferred. I had to wait until November, which sucked because the results didn't come out until February.

Now you can take it year round (in TX at least) and your results are instant.

Anyway, when I graduated, I looked for whatever job I could get to pay the bills. University of Texas has one of the leading accounting programs in the nation. I did not go there, but I did attend a university in the vicinity, so the market was flooded. I found a firm in Houston, and they were the only ones to offer me a job. I took it.

The firm I started out with dealt exclusively with non-profits. I audited non-profits for 2 years, and learned a ton about non-profits, auditing, fraud schemes, and forensic accounting. When I realized that the firm was too small for any sort of advancement, I moved to Austin and took a job as the Accounting Manager at a large religious institution, I guess you could say. They wanted me because I had audited a similar institution in Houston and knew how it all worked from both a financial and political standpoint. Church politics are tricky. I worked there until my religious differences were too much for them to handle and I was told to conform or leave (3 years). While I was there I got to investigate a large fraud scheme, though, all the way to being deposed by the DA and having a warrant issued.

I left for my current position, and have been here for 4 years. I am the DIrector of Accounting at a faith based university and I love it. Non-profits really are my niche.

I got my CFE mainly because it is really interesting to me. I'd love to be a FT fraud examiner, but I think that the travel involved with most positions would not mesh with my family plans in the immediate future. However, my dream for the not so near future is to have a non-profit incubator firm that assists non-profits in building administrative policies and procedures, staffing, and creating a sustainable business model so their program objectives can be sustainable achieved. Part of that would also be fraud prevention consulting and investigation services. I know that I will need more investigation experience before I can even start that, though.

If you want to talk more, I don't mind. I'm pretty much an open book. You can PM me and I can give you my email, or we can keep it going here.

ETA: WOW that was long. I guess I could have just sent you a resume, huh?

prideeinpynk · August 2010

haha, that was long but exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to pm you my email address so we can exchange and I can pick your brain a bit more. Thank you so, so much!

SarahPLiz · August 2010

Got it. You should have an email any second now.

F/u sorta to odd dream job: fraud accountant

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