CFE Designation Now 'Enhancing Criteria' For FBI Applicants

Thanks to a recent policy change, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will now begin giving special consideration to Certified Fraud Examiners who apply for investigative and technical positions with the FBI.

In making the announcement, FBI Assistant Director Thomas J. Kubic said, "Employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is extremely competitive. We continually search for only the best and brightest." Recognizing the specialized talents of CFEs, the FBI formerly has designated the Certified Fraud Examiner to be an "enhancing criteria" for both special agent and accounting technician positions.

"This is a significant achievement for our CFEs," said Association Chairman Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, himself a former FBI agent. "The FBI has historically sought out accountants and CPAs for its white-collar crime investigators. This new policy applies to those groups, but it also applies to CFEs who don't have an accounting background."

Becoming an FBI employee is not an easy process, Kubic acknowledges. "Each applicant for special agent goes through a series of reviews, interviews, and background checks," he said.
Making the grade has also become harder for another reason: budget cuts have slowed new hires to a crawl for the time being. For that reason, Wells suggests that CFEs with applications currently pending at the FBI should notify their appropriate applicant contact in writing. "Since this program is new, it's incumbent on the applicant to make sure that the FBI knows he or she is already a CFE. If you don't, you risk losing that extra consideration at hiring time," Wells said. "If, for example, the FBI is evaluating two people for one position, all other things being equal, the CFE will get the job."

Joe L. Ford, CFE, chief of the Economic Crimes Unit for the FBI, said that both agents and accounting technicians, many of whom investigate fraud, also will be encouraged to seek certification. "We intend to start requiring the CFE for advancement in many of our technical positions," Ford said.

The FBI is the latest in a growing number of federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations to recognize the special talents of the Certified Fraud Examiner.