Q & A with Anthony Ball, CFE

Anthony Ball became a CFE after attending the CFE Exam Review Course in Houston, TX. When Anthony has a break from his busy work schedule in law enforcement, he looks forward to spending time with his wife. But recently, Anthony put some time aside to accomplish his goal of obtaining the CFE credential. Now that Anthony is a CFE, he feels that the credential will aid in his transition from law enforcement to the private sector. He is optimistic that the credential will be a very valuable asset.

Coach:  When did you receive your CFE credential?
Ball: I received my CFE credential on 2/11/2016.

Coach: You attended the CFE Exam Review Course in Houston and following the course you sat for the CFE Exam on-site.  Please describe your experience of participating in the 4-day course and then sitting for the exam immediately after.

Ball: Challenging! For me, the training event is best described as a marathon. Like any run, it takes a few minutes to become comfortable and get into a pace—but then you begin to enjoy the event. At some point, usually when you have completed approximately 75 to 80 percent of the run, you begin to struggle as your body fatigues (in spite of all your preparation), and as you near the finish, you are simply hoping the finish line is around the next corner. That is the four-day course. By the afternoon of day one, you are very comfortable, and then day two and the morning of day three seemed to breeze by. By the time you finish the exam on day three and look around, everyone appears to have an expression of “just one more day (mile).”

Coach: What did you like most about the CFE Exam Review Course? 

Ball: It was a great environment for learning. There were no surprises. The course syllabus outlined exactly what you needed to prepare for and the review focused on that material.

Coach: In what ways do you feel that your new CFE credential will be beneficial to you in your current profession?

Ball: The response to outside training, specifically non-governmental training (at least in my 30 years of experience in law enforcement), is usually mixed with positive and negative responses. I decided to obtain the credential to aid in my transition from law enforcement to the private sector, and I am very optimistic that having the credential will be a very valuable asset/skill set. 

The information contained in the course will be and is very helpful to me in performing my duties as a detective for the police department.

Coach:  How did you prepare yourself to sit for the exam on-site?

Ball: I ordered the self-study Prep Course and spent approximately two months simply reviewing the material. I then started a more intensive study regiment for approximately two months before coming to the Review Course.

Coach:. Did you spend any additional time studying after class each day?

Ball: Yes. I spent approximately an hour reviewing the notecards I had created covering the next day’s exam material. In hindsight, I am not sure that was really the best approach. As long as you have prepared properly, I would probably recommend you simply rest and recover from a very long day.
 
Coach: Would you recommend this course to your colleagues?

Ball: Yes, and I have already recommended this course to my colleagues.

Coach:  How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

Ball: In local law enforcement, big cities (Atlanta) and small, white-collar crime is not an area where most police find a great deal of interest. Most administrations give it very little attention, as it is classified as a Part II crime and does not affect crime statistics kept for reporting purposes. However, there are a great many victims of this type of crime, and as a law enforcement officer, I simply became frustrated when I realized I did not know how to combat or present the cases for prosecution. So, twenty-plus years ago, I obtained my BA in Business-Accounting and decided I wanted to learn about white-collar crime. I am still learning today.

Coach: Now that we know what you do professionally, what do you like to do for fun and what do you find enjoyable about it?

Ball: I enjoy spending  time with my wife.

Coach:  Do you have any study tips or suggestions for aspiring CFEs?

Ball: Drop your ego, get the Prep Course, and open your mind. There is a lot to learn. Fraud is such a dynamic field and criminal creativity abounds. Keeping up with that much creativity will provide you with a very interesting and challenging career. Good luck!