Fighting fraud and achieving success

From the ACFE’s majority-woman 2022-2023 Board of Regents to the nearly 35,000 female ACFE members fighting fraud around the world, and the many women who are expert investigators educating others on fraud examination, women are playing front-and-center roles in the anti-fraud field. With women figuring so prominently in the field, I wanted to know what everyday female fraud fighters think about their place in our profession.

I contacted longtime colleagues — both male and female — and fraud examiners who participate in the ACFE’s “Women in the Anti-Fraud Profession” online forum for their views. Their perspectives were diverse, and while my colleagues related several horror stories about gender discrimination — including sexual harassment — there were many more stories of triumph.

The current state

My female colleagues were often positive even when they reflected on challenges they’ve faced, such as suspects leaping over tables to attack them during interviews. (Of course, you can never be sure if those suspects would’ve attacked a male interviewer under the same circumstances.) Tania Ramirez, CFE, who is an ACFE Advisory Council member, said there were times when she felt uncomfortable, intimidated and even threatened by interviewees, but she generally feels good about her profession.