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Fraud Investigator

Academic programs / Undergraduate degrees / Career opportunities / Fraud Investigator

Fraud Investigator

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

Potential job titles in this career
Anti-Fraud Operations Analyst, Casino Gaming Regulator, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Confidential Investigator, Financial Crimes Investigator, Financial Investigator, Fraud Analyst, SIU Clinical Investigator (Special Investigations Unit Clinical Investigator), SIU Field Investigator (Special Investigations Unit Field Investigator), Special Investigations Unit Investigator (SIU Investigator)

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
What will I do?
  • Document all investigative activities.
  • Create and maintain logs, records, or databases of information about fraudulent activity.
  • Prepare written reports of investigation findings.
  • Interview witnesses or suspects and take statements.
  • Gather financial documents related to investigations.
  • Analyze financial data to detect irregularities in areas such as billing trends, financial relationships, and regulatory compliance procedures.
  • Review reports of suspected fraud to determine need for further investigation.
  • Recommend actions in fraud cases.
  • Lead, or participate in, fraud investigation teams.
  • Coordinate investigative efforts with law enforcement officers and attorneys.
  • In this career, it is important to know
    English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    It's useful to be good at
    Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

    Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

    Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

    Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

    Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

    Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

    Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

    Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

    Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

    Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
    Employment trends
    Location Pay period 2025
    10% 25% Median% 75% 90%
    United States Hourly $23.30 $29.47 $38.99 $53.08 $72.83
    Yearly $48,460 $61,290 $81,100 $110,410 $151,490
    Arizona Hourly $29.54 $32.93 $39.03 $51.83 $65.36
    Yearly $61,440 $68,490 $81,180 $107,810 $135,950
    2025 Median%
    United States $38.99 Hourly $81,100 Yearly
    Arizona $39.03 Hourly $81,180 Yearly

    Employment (2025)
    137,800 employees
    Projected growth (2025 - 2035)
    Average (4% to 7%)
    Projected job openings (2025 - 2035)
    9,400
    * Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

    Frequently asked questions about degree programs

    Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

    Accelerated master's

    These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

    Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

    Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

    Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

    ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.

    ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

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