Career-forming annual conference

Starting out: For new and budding fraud examiners

As many of us prepare for the 25th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, June 15-20, in San Antonio, Texas, let's hear from ACFE student associate members who enjoyed last year's conference. Those featured here are undergraduate and graduate students at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. They're all members of the ACFE student chapter at the university and have taken courses taught by Jessica Heronemus, an instructor of accounting.

Trisha Goetz, president of the Fort Hays State University ACFE student chapter, MBA student

The ACFE Global Fraud Conference was an incredible opportunity for any individual to attend, but receiving this opportunity as a student was beyond belief. The conference is an eye-opening experience as a student to see the professional networks, information and support that fraud fighters have access to. It is also a great opportunity for students to network with professionals and ask questions specifically related to entering the fraud examination profession. It has given me a greater desire to obtain a CFE credential.

My favorite session was "Exploiting Internet and Social Network Intelligence to Enhance Investigations," taught by Cynthia Navarro. I found it really interesting to see how social networking sites can so easily connect individuals through pictures, friends and common interests.

I also found many of the keynote speakers extremely interesting to listen to. They had great advice and intriguing stories. Enron was one of the major cases we studied in our fraud examination class. So, I found keynote speaker Andrew Fastow, Enron's former chief financial officer, to be fascinating because he was a direct link to what we learned. Also, many of the keynote speakers brought (Donald) Cressey's Fraud Triangle into focus for me.

Emily Ringleman, senior

I had a lot of fun at the conference! I found it all very interesting, and it just got me more excited to graduate and move into a fraud career.

I got a lot of out of the session, "Knowing What You Don't Know About the CFE Exam," taught by ACFE Vice President of Education John Gill, J.D., CFE, and CFE Exam Coach Angela Archie, CFE. It was helpful to learn how the exam works. I also really enjoyed the sessions where they talked about case studies or actual fraud cases they had completed. It was great to learn more about how fraud detection starts and the different red flags other professionals have seen.

The keynote sessions, which were interesting and full of information, helped put everything I have been learning in classes into perspective.

Before attending the conference I knew I wanted to do something related to fraud, but now I am even more excited about this profession. I can't wait to graduate and get a job fighting fraud.

Mariah Klein, senior

The ACFE Global Fraud Conference was extremely useful and eye-opening. I met some amazing people from all walks of life who gave me great advice on how to get where I want to go in the fraud examination field.

The session I most enjoyed focused on data mining and using technology to get evidence you need even if it's been "destroyed" by the culprit. The other session I found valuable and useful was "Knowing What You Don't Know About the CFE Exam." I plan on taking the CFE Exam when I get out of school, and it was exceedingly beneficial to get a first-hand look at what the exam is like, to be able to ask people who have taken the exam questions, and to see some sample questions and discuss them with those who have a little more experience with fraud than I do.

The keynote speakers were interesting and informative, especially former Enron Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow. To hear about how he committed the fraud was fascinating, including how he rationalized his behavior.

The other speakers were hilarious and really knew how to keep our attention. Stacy Keach, award-winning actor and narrator of CNBC's American Greed television program, was funny, and I loved how he incorporated videos from past episodes of the show.

The conference really brought to life and showed the application of everything we'd covered in the classroom as well as adding a few technological concepts and ideas to what I'd learned. I've always been interested in fraud detection and prevention, but the conference opened new doors and brought new connections that will help me further my career in the field. I was able to bring back the things I learned and apply them to my studies. Attending the conference is beneficial to anyone who wants to succeed in this career because of continuing changes and advances in technology.

Nathan Musick, senior

Attending the ACFE Conference was a great experience. It was very interesting to see the variety of attendees' backgrounds. I spoke with professors, lawyers, accountants, investigators, etc., which showed the broad spectrum of those who could benefit from the training. It was also great to see such a global community taking things that they had learned back to their home countries.

I attended many sessions related to case studies of frauds and interviewing techniques, but the session that I found to be the most interesting and informative was "How to Work with Attorneys in the Course of Your Fraud Examination," presented by David Debenham, J.D., CFE, CMA. This session was not only entertaining but was very informative in illustrating "real world" scenarios that might occur while working on a fraud examination — specifically how to preserve chain of custody and how to act on cross-examination.

The keynote sessions were very enjoyable, especially U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police undercover investigator, Chris Mathers. What resonated most was how large the problems of fraud and corruption are in the world. It was very interesting to see it from the viewpoint of both of these men who are on the front lines fighting against fraudsters. I'm looking forward to the 25th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference in San Antonio.

Attending the conference has definitely made me want to pursue the CFE credential. I was able to see how the CFE can be a valuable asset, not only for career advancement, but also to help make any company that I may work for better.

Attending the ACFE Global Fraud Conference as a student

There's still time to register for the 25th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, June 15-20, in San Antonio, Texas. Send an email to MemberServices@ACFE.com or call ACFE Global Headquarters at (800) 245-3321, and be sure to check out FraudConference.com. You'll never find this many fraud examiners (and contacts) in one spot. It could help form your career.

Colin May, M.S., CFE, is a forensic financial investigator with a government agency (the views in Starting Out are his own) in Baltimore, Md.

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