A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) is fraud prevention and detection professional with proven expertise in the four major areas of fraud and trained to identify the warning signs and red flags that indicate evidence of fraud and fraud risk.  To become a CFE, one must pass a rigorous examination administered by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), meet specific education and professional requirements exemplify the highest moral and ethical standards and agree to abide by the CFE Code of Professional Ethics.

CFEs carry out their profession in a large variety of sectors and positions. In the corporate sector, CFEs play a significant role in deterring and finding fraud as part of internal security and audit departments.  The government sector actively recruits and promotes CFEs in various agencies and departments including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Government Accountability Office and law enforcement organizations at state and local levels.  CFEs also play an important role in the consulting sector as they provide their expertise to clients of forensic accounting firms, public accounting firms, specialized fraud firms and, security and investigative firms.  As an example, Douglas Carmicheal, CFE, is the Chief Auditor and Director of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the regulatory body for public accounting.  

More recently, Harry Markopolos, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a former securities industry executive turned independent financial fraud investigator for institutional investors and others seeking forensic accounting expertise made headlines for presenting his documented allegations of fraud against Madoff Investment Securities, LLC to the Securities Exchange Commission.