Before becoming president of the ACFE, James D. Ratley, CFE, worked with the Dallas, Texas Police Department, developing many important interviewing skills along the way. In this excerpt from Policing Fraud: My Journey from Street Cop to Anti-Fraud Leader, Ratley describes how he adapted and improved his interviewing skills to help him investigate white-collar crime through an understanding of the psychology of a fraudster.
Interviewing & Reporting
Interviewing and reporting are critical skills for anti-fraud professionals. Knowing how to conduct effective interviews from start to finish can make or break an investigation. At the conclusion of a fraud examination, reporting the results clearly and thoroughly supports the credibility of both you and your work, and can make your findings more actionable.Articles and Other Resources
On a Thursday evening your doorbell rings. You open the door to find a 9 year-old child on your threshold who says, “Hi. I’m selling candy bars for my school. Do you want to buy one?” Would you buy one? Or would you politely decline? What if the child instead said to you, “Hello. Do you think children should be reading more?” If you respond affirmatively, they follow up with, “Do you mind buying a candy bar to support our library?” Chances are that you are much more likely to buy that candy bar after agreeing with the child that children should read because you now feel compelled to back up your previous affirmative statement. That scenario is more than a clever sales pitch for a child — it is a perfect example of the social contract compelling you to act.
Irene Dixon was driving on I-80 outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, when she saw the flashing lights of a Lancaster County Sheriff car in her rear-view mirror. The officer pulled her over, discovered a duffel bag containing 90 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $400,000 in her vehicle and arrested her. She was later charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Her attempt to score a quick buck and turn her life around by muling drugs from the West Coast to Ithaca, New York, had gone hopelessly wrong.
We asked some experienced CFEs to ponder their interviewing philosophies and techniques. Their responses are diverse and thought-provoking. Now let us know what you think.
In part one, experienced CFEs described how preparation and flexibility are the keys to good interviews. Here they discuss how they can discover surprising new evidence by asking incisive questions and waiting for serendipitous moments. We also cover question typology, body language, moving toward admissions and more.
Every day we make connections with other people. People we know and those we’re meeting for the first time. Family, friends, colleagues, the cashiers in the grocery store and very often in my case, the coffee barista early in the morning. Maintaining interpersonal relationships is surely an important key to personal growth, happiness and even career advancement.