Private Investigators and Certified Fraud Examiners

Private investigators and Certified Fraud Examiners have always used their unique skills to help each other in fraud examinations. However, many PIs now are realizing the value of adding CFE to their names. 

Growth of the private investigative profession might be considered a 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, compared to the drag-race speed of the expansion of Certified Fraud Examiners. Private investigation has been a noble source of income since the 1800s and today the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 43,000 private detectives and investigators work in the U.S. alone. But in 18 short years, more than 17,000 professionals achieved the CFE designation and the growth curve remains sharply angled up.

Some professionals see the need to pursue both paths. They've found many similarities between them and some very important differences. To date, 339 CFEs list PI as their primary occupation. My dual roles as a private investigator and CFE could illustrate the need for both.