Certified Fraud Examiner

Qualifications

In order to promote high standards of professionalism and ethics, the ACFE requires candidates for the CFE Exam to meet certain professional, academic, and character-based criteria.

Do I Meet the Qualifications for Becoming a CFE?

Before you may apply for the CFE Exam, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be an Associate Member of the ACFE in good standing
• Meet minimum Academic and Professional requirements
• Be of high moral character
• Agree to abide by the Bylaws and Code of Professional Ethics of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

Academic Requirements
Generally, applicants for CFE certification have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an institution of higher learning. No specific field of study is required. If you do not have a Bachelor's degree, you may substitute two years of fraud-related professional experience for each year of academic study. For example, if you successfully attended college full-time for only two years, you would need an additional four years of professional experience to qualify for the education requirements.

When you apply, you will be awarded qualifying points for the specific level of education you claim.

Professional Requirements
At the time you are certified, you must have at least two years of professional experience in a field either directly or indirectly related to the detection or deterrence of fraud.

The Board of Regents has established the following categories as acceptable fraud-related experience:

• Accounting and Auditing: You may qualify if you have experience as an accountant or auditor (e.g., internal or external auditor), and have certain responsibilities for the detection and deterrence of fraud by evaluating accounting systems for weaknesses, designing internal controls, determining the degree of organizational fraud risk, interpreting financial data for unusual trends, and following up on fraud indicators.
• Criminology and Sociology: Only those professionals with education or research in the fraud and white-collar crime dimensions of sociology or criminology may claim experience under this category. An experienced background in general sociological fields is insufficient.
• Fraud Investigation: Experience in the investigation of civil or criminal fraud, or of white-collar crime for law enforcement agencies or in the private sector, qualifies. Examples include federal, state, or local law enforcement (e.g., IRS, inspectors general, and district attorney investigators). Insurance fraud investigators and fraud examiners working for corporations, businesses, or associations qualify as well.
• Loss Prevention: Security directors for corporations and associations who deal with issues of loss prevention may claim this experience as credit. Security consultants dealing with fraud-related issues also are eligible. Experience as a security guard or equivalent is not acceptable.
• Law: Candidates with experience in the legal field might qualify, provided the experience deals with some consideration of fraud. Examples include prosecuting lawyers, fraud litigators, and others with an anti-fraud specialization.

If your experience does not fall into one of the above categories, but your responsibilities include the detection, investigation, or deterrence of fraud, you may submit your application and fee along with a detailed description of your background.

The Point System
Your eligibility to be certified is based upon a point system, which awards credit for education and experience.

How Do I Become Certified?

4 Key Steps to Certification

A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) is a leader in the anti-fraud community, noted as a specialist in the prevention and detection of fraud. Becoming a CFE requires specific qualifications, but the process to apply is a simple one.

1. Be an Associate member of the ACFE in good standing.
If you are not already an Associate member of the ACFE, you must first become a member to pursue the CFE credential.

• Apply for an Associate Membership

2. Submit the CFE Exam application with proof of education and professional recommendations.
Fill out the CFE Exam application and submit it, along with proof of your education and three CFE Candidate Recommendation Forms to the Certification Department at ACFE Headquarters. We recommend you gather your documentation and send it all together along with your application approximately one month before you are ready to take the CFE Exam.

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
Attn: Certification Department
716 West Avenue
Austin, TX 78701 USA
Phone: (800) 245-3321 / +1 (512) 478-9000
Fax: +1 (512) 478-9297

The cost to take the CFE Exam is U.S. $250. If you have purchased the CFE Exam Prep Course, you will receive a U.S. $100 credit on the cost of the CFE Exam fee, the CFE Exam fee will be U.S. $150.

3. Pass the CFE Exam.
The CFE Exam is a Windows-based program that tests your knowledge and expertise in the four primary areas of fraud examination: Fraudulent Financial Transactions, Legal Elements of Fraud, Investigation Methods, and Fraud Prevention and Deterrence.

• Click here to learn more about the CFE Exam and how to prepare to take it.

4. Gain final approval from the certification committee and become a CFE.
You will officially become a CFE once your exam and credentials are approved by the certification committee. Those who have attained the CFE credential will be invoiced at the CFE dues rate upon annual membership renewal.