Siobhan Fitzgerald, CFE

Not every CFE grows up speaking French in the home. Or traveling the world on a Navy repair supply ship. Or earning a sociology degree from Harvard University while raising two sons alone. But Siobhan Fitzgerald isn't your average CFE. She now leads a team of seven investigators that reviews tips of possible fraud and abuse in the Massachusetts' unemployment program. Though team members often investigate in the field, the unit relies heavily on data analytics to detect early patterns of fraud, which mitigates risk to the Commonwealth, she says.

I've learned that fraud can be likened to a "Pandora's Box." You need to dig deeper to determine if advanced fraud schemes are going on. In my experience, it's not usually a single instance of fraud but more of an orchestration of schemes.

My day-to-day duties involve primarily investigation of potential fraudulent unemployment claims perpetrated through identity theft — either the employer calls when they receive the bill or the claimant. We've investigated cases of fictitious employers setting up shop with stolen identities and filing claims.

I'm the youngest of eight children, born and raised in Newton, Mass.