The Fraud Examiner

CFE Brings Community Service and “Outside the Box” Thinking to Government Forensic Accounting

April 2019

ACFE Member Profile
Stacy Hypolite, CFE
Senior Forensic Accountant
Deloitte

Stacy Hypolite, CFE, first got into fraud examination through a college professor and has since enjoyed a fruitful career in the anti-fraud profession. As a senior forensic accountant for Deloitte, she tackles cases that span international jurisdictions and can involve deep corruption. She was also recently named the fraud research director for the Houston ACFE chapter. “After seeing what the chapter had to offer, I wanted to be a part of giving back and take on a more active role,” she said. “I believe it is important to give back because it keeps us grounded and focused.”

How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

I found out about fraud examining through a college professor who was a CFE. She explained the role of a forensic accountant and introduced me to the ACFE and the CFE credential. I was unsure about how to transition from corporate accounting to fraud examination, which made me hesitate for a few years. Eventually, I decided to make the leap and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I became more passionate about fraud fighting once I began working in the field and saw the impact I made. I've always wanted to feel like the work I did had more of a direct effect on society and fraud examining has provided that to me. I'm proud to say that I am a CFE and I enjoy my career. I seek out ways to increase my knowledge in the anti-fraud field and it doesn't feel like a chore or something that I am obligated to do because of work.

What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned since entering the fraud prevention field?

Be flexible. Each case and perpetrator/fraudster are unique, so everything cannot be approached the same way. From my experience, fraud examination is not routine. You may have a case that is seemingly straightforward and another case that requires further investigation. Fraudsters are getting more and more creative so we need to have an open mind when going into an investigation.