Q&A with Nsikak N. Essien, CFE

Nsikak N. Essien of Nigeria recently became a CFE after using the CFE Exam Prep Course. For Essien, The Prep Course helped him identify red flags that he previously overlooked. When Essien is not working, he enjoys learning about cybersecurity programs.

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential?

Essien: I received my CFE credential in May 2020.

Coach: Please describe your experience using the Prep Course.

Essien: The Prep Course is very insightful and helpful. It also simplifies and clarifies all the gray areas, especially the legal aspect of fraud-related issues.

Coach: What did you like most about the Prep Course?

Essien: It was easy to access, and it also references the Fraud Examiners Manual.

Coach: How long did it take you to complete the Prep Course, and how often did you study?

Essien: It took me about six months of constant practice. COVID-19 allowed me ample time to concentrate more.

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

Essien: The Prep Course has opened my eyes to a lot of red flags of fraud that I previously neglected. The legal aspect of fraud and the interviewing method will help me avoid any major litigation in the future.

Coach: Would you recommend the Prep Course to your colleagues?

Essien: I will recommend the Prep Course to a lot of my colleagues and friends.

Coach: How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

Essien: I began my career as an auditor. I have witnessed corporate fraud, and I noticed that without effective fraud management and controls, a firm’s resources will end up in the pockets of employees, management, and the board.

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?

Essien: Personally, I love listening to the cybersecurity program, and I would like to develop the capacity to focus more on cybersecurity. The good guys need to stop the bad guys. The world is moving toward the internet of things (IoT), and we cannot leave cyberspace to nonCFEs.

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

Essien: It is about commitment and interest. The only constant thing is change. As a fraud expert, the ability to spot red flags is important, so aspiring CFEs should use the Prep Course as a fraud compass.

Q&A with Veselina Duhova, CFE

Veselina Duhova, CFE ,of Florida received her CFE credential this past spring after preparing with the CFE Exam Prep Course. Duhova says that earning the CFE credential was one of the most satisfying experiences of her life. When Duhova is not working, she enjoys sports, reading, and traveling.

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential? 

Veselina: I received my CFE credential in June 2020.

Coach: Please describe your experience using the CFE Exam Prep Course.

Veselina: The Prep Course material and setup was quite a helpful experience. I found the material of the course interesting and well structured. The answers to the questions were explained very well, which helped me understand the implementation of the concepts. The time-line helped me with scheduling and sticking to it. It helped me to stay focused.

Coach:  What did you like most about the Prep Course? 

Veselina: I liked the review questions and the explanations of the correct and incorrect options. Also, I liked how the questions were linked to the Fraud Examiners Manual, in case you need to read more about a question and/or topic.

Coach: How long did it take you to complete the Prep Course, and how often did you study?

Veselina: I originally signed up in 2019 but was unable to start preparing right away. However, after I started the Prep Course, it took me a little over ninety days to complete it. I studied about 25 to 30 questions per day and took notes. At the end of each week, I reviewed everything I had studied throughout the week from the notes. I also completed all the review questions and read the explanations for those that I initially answered incorrectly.

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

Veselina: Earning the CFE credential was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life! Obtaining the CFE credential indicates that I have received advanced training and gained reputation and recognition as a fraud expert. Thank you, ACFE!

Coach: Would you recommend the Prep Course to your colleagues? 

Veselina: Yes, definitely! I have advocated it to my colleagues—some of whom have already applied for the CFE Exam.

Coach: How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

Veselina: I've seen the impact of fraud to societies through my fraud professor in college and the fraud classes I took. Often, white-collar lawbreakers can be very resourceful and innovative when seeking weak points in financial systems. I enjoy the challenge of finding the schemes.

Coach: Aside from fighting fraud, what do you like to do for fun, and what do you find enjoyable about it?

Veselina: I stay active by playing soccer and taking gym classes. Being involved in sports is fun and rewarding. I also love to read and travel. I appreciate the customs and traditions of other countries.

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

Veselina: Most of the questions and answers are fairly logical and interesting if you take the time to practice and understand the concepts. The Prep Course follows a pattern where if you understand the concept, then it’s easy to pick the right answer. My advice is study the practice questions first, and go through them a couple of times to become familiar with the concepts, and then use the Fraud Examiners Manual.

Q&A with Jennifer Roney, CFE

Jennifer Roney of Alabama, recently became a CFE after using the On-Demand CFE Exam Review Course. Roney feels that her new CFE credential will help her identify more areas where the potential for fraud exists in her line of work. When Roney is not working she enjoys swimming, reading, and drag racing.

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential?

Roney: I was sent the email notifying me the night of June 22, 2020. (I probably did the world’s worst looking happy dance when I read the email the next day.)

Coach: Did you review the Prep Course prior to going through the On-Demand Review Course?

Roney: Prior to anything else, I took the pre-assessment tests (in the Prep Course). I then went through the questions for each section based on my pre-assessment test grades. After this, I started watching the on-demand videos in the Review Course. While in the process of going through the videos, I revisited the questions I had not answered correctly and answered them again.

Coach: Please describe your experience of using the On-Demand CFE Exam Review Course.

Roney: I found the On-Demand Review Course very helpful. The completion tracker and list of videos helped me plan the approximate time I would need for each section. The workbook was also extremely helpful. I was able to read the outline and fit it in with the notes that I made from the CFE Exam Prep Course questions and the videos.

Coach: What did you like most about the On-Demand Review Course?

Roney: I liked the videos. John and Jason, the instructors, did a great job explaining the course material. I really liked when they would use real examples to help explain how the material related to real-world events.

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

Roney: As an internal auditor, your audit engagements have to include an awareness of the potential for fraud. I believe the CFE credential will help me identify even more areas where the potential for fraud exists in engagements.

Coach: Would you recommend the On-Demand Review Course to your colleagues?

Roney: I would absolutely recommend the On-Demand Review Course. It was a great course with well-presented information.

Coach: How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

Roney: I was raised to believe in fairness and raised with a strong sense of right and wrong. When I began to work in the professional world, I started in accounting. I was exposed to audits and dealt with external auditors. I had conversations with them about auditing and potentials for fraud. It just resonated with me because I felt as if I could help to potentially make a difference by knowing how to be aware of possible fraud issues.

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?

Roney: Some of the things that I enjoy are swimming, drag racing (legally), reading, and learning.

Swimming is so relaxing. You can be as active or as lazy as you want in the water.

In legal drag racing, if you are bracket racing or index racing, then it is a numbers game, which means how well you take information from various contributing factors, formulate a plan, and how well you execute that plan. I especially like the foot-brake classes, which basically means having no electronic help.

With reading and learning, sometimes you just need to get lost in another story to clear your mind, and there are so many interesting things in this world to learn.

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

Roney: If you have access to the videos, watch them. You can back them up and go through the information again.

Take notes from the videos and the questions, then organize those notes so that the information flows and makes sense to you. I find that when I write down notes, I tend to remember them so much better.

Take some of the information (for example, laws) and research them on the internet. What are some real-life applications of them? Seeing how concepts are applied helps to better understand them.

Q&A with Leslie Ho, CFE

Leslie Ho of New York recently became a CFE by preparing with the On-Demand CFE Exam Review Course. Ho feels that obtaining the CFE credential will be beneficial to him in his profession as an auditor. When Ho is not working, he enjoys traveling to different countries to experience other customs and cultures.

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential?

Ho: I was certified on June 5, 2020.

Coach: Please describe your experience of using the On-Demand CFE Exam Review Course study course?

Ho: It was user friendly and easy to navigate among different chapters and modules.

Coach: What did you like most about the On-Demand CFE Exam Review Course study course?

Ho: The instructors summarized the materials well. I found it especially helpful for the highlighted areas that I needed to focus on in preparation for the CFE Exam.

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

Ho: As an auditor, the CFE material provided a framework and guidelines to prevent, identify, and review possibilities of fraudulent activities

Coach: How did you prepare yourself to sit for the exam? Did you spend any additional time studying after class each session?

Ho: After sessions, I spent additional time reading certain specific sections in the textbook. I also completed all the review questions and read the explanations for those I got wrong initially.

Coach: Would you recommend this course to your colleagues?

Ho: Definitely. In fact, I was referred to take this class by another CFE who had a wonderful experience with it.

Coach: How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?

Ho: I have been an auditor for a long time. Understanding what could become an opportunity for fraud and developing a prevention method is fascinating to me.

Coach: Now that we know what you do professionally, what do you like to do for fun?

Ho: I love traveling. Seeing other countries’ customs and cultures always amazes me.

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

Ho: Take your time in understanding the principles of the materials. Most of them are quite logical and interesting.

Q&A with Rogers Kyeyune, CFE

Rogers Kyeyune of Uganda received his CFE credential by using the CFE Exam Prep Course. Kyeyune enjoys watching fraud-related entertainment, such as the television show Breaking Bad. Kyeyune feels that his new CFE credential will benefit his current profession by helping him apply and share his knowledge and experience to combat white-collar fraud.

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential?

Kyeyune: I received my CFE credential on December 9, 2019.

Coach: Please describe your experience using the CFE Exam Prep Course.

Kyeyune: Using the Prep Course was very helpful. Answering the questions, whether correctly or incorrectly, helped me evaluate and gauge myself to determine if I understood the study material correctly. The answers to the questions I got wrong were explained very well. This made me appreciate the application of the concepts. The time lines helped me plan and stick to them, which enabled me to remain focused.

Coach: What did you like most about the Prep Course?

Kyeyune: I think what I liked most about the Prep Course were the well-explained answers, which made reading enjoyable, and the set time lines, which helped me remain disciplined.

Coach: How long did it take you to complete the Prep Course, and how often did you study?

Kyeyune: I studied on and off because I was using the Fraud Examiners Manual, which was very good but voluminous. However, entering the 90-Day Challenge helped me complete the Prep Course in three months.

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

Kyeyune: First and foremost, I am switching careers from operations management to fraud prevention and deterrence. This was after I witnessed several fraud cases at my former workplace and the impact they had on the company's profitability and reputation. My desire to gain greater skills, along with the CFE credential, will benefit me because I will be able to apply and share my knowledge and experience to combat white-collar crime.

Coach: Would you recommend the Prep Course to your colleagues?

Kyeyune: Absolutely. Yes, I will recommend the Prep Course.

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?

Kyeyune: I like playing chess and watching fraud-related movies and television series, like Breaking Bad. They both help me to think ahead of my opponents and also understand the way my opponents think.

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

Kyeyune: Yes, I found out that the Fraud Examiners Manual was excellent at explaining the concepts in depth. Aspiring CFEs need to understand the concepts and their applicability extremely well. It is not just about memorizing answers in the Prep Course.