Resolution #1: Largest. Annual. Conference. Ever.

#1: HOST THE LARGEST GLOBAL FRAUD CONFERENCE EVER

There are only a handful of things that I completely “geek out” over. For a few years in high school, pictures of Buffy the Vampire Slayer tattooed my room, binders, notebooks and tennis bag. In college, my friends and family rarely saw me not wearing a velour jump suit and a trucker hat (thank goodness that phase was short). And now, at the ACFE, I am not embarrassed to say that every fall I become giddy at the thought of researching possible keynote speakers for the ACFE Global Fraud Conference.

The “Sheriff of Wall Street,” the undercover agent, the storyteller and the Enron mastermind are just a few of the keynote speakers to address fraud fighters at this year’s largest-ever 24th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conferencein Las Vegas, Nev., June 23-28, 2013.

We hope to welcome more than 2,400 anti-fraud professionals this June to make this Conference the largest the ACFE has ever held in its history. With 12 parallel tracks and more than 70 sessions, the ACFE Global Fraud Conference continues to get better year after year.

Here is a recap of the keynotes, just in case the description above didn’t quite capture everything:

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York

Known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street,” U.S. Attorney Bharara has been prosecuting high-profile corporate crime and insider trading cases since taking office in 2009. Bharara has been named by TIME magazine as one of “The Most Influential People in the World,” and one of the Bloomberg Markets Magazine’s “50 Most Influential.”

Chris Mathers, Former Undercover Agent, Consultant

For 20 years, Mathers was employed as an undercover agent for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, personally infiltrating criminal groups in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. He conducted numerous international investigations for the FBI, DEA, U.S. Customs Service, Interpol, Scotland Yard and various European federal agencies. Mathers now operates his own crime and risk consulting firm providing advice on organized crime, terror, fraud and money laundering.

Stacy Keach, Actor, Narrator of CNBC’s American Greed

As an award-winning actor of stage, film and television, Keach is currently the narrator of CNBC’s American Greed, an original primetime series that examines high-profile corporate and white-collar crimes.

Andrew Fastow, Convicted Fraudster*, Former Enron CFO

Fastow was one of the accounting masterminds at Enron behind a complex web of off-balance sheet special purpose entities used to conceal years of massive loses. He pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy before serving five years in prison.

I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas this June! To find more about the Conference, visit FraudConference.com.

*The ACFE does not compensate convicted fraudsters.

Networking 2.0: How to Mingle in the New Millennium

GUEST BLOGGER

Kerrie Metschan

ACFE Event Marketing Manager

When I look back to my early days of networking in the professional world, images of shoulder pad clad business suits, clunky shoes and dreaded panty hose come to mind. My mentor at the time advised me to get my business cards into as many hands as possible and to approach everyone with a firm handshake. My first networking event, a professional women’s mixer, left me with a shortage of business cards within the first hour. (Note to professionals just starting out: let the discussion lead to exchanging contact information; don’t shove your business card into every hand you shake!) 

A lot has changed since my early days of networking. I have gained a few more savvy tips and have lived to reap the benefits of investing my time and money into solid networking opportunities. With this in mind, we took a step back and considered a variety of fun and innovative networking tools to provide attendees at this year’s 22nd Annual ACFE Fraud Conference & Exhibition, June 12-17, in San Diego.

• Network ahead of time in the ACFE’s LinkedIn group set up exclusively for attendees of the 22nd Annual ACFE Conference. There is quite a bit to talk about: this year’s keynote speakers (John Walsh and Lanny Breuer, just to name a couple), the impressive line-up of instructors, breakout sessions, and all of the fun planning to be done to ensure everyone takes advantage of some fun in the sun in beautiful San Diego.   
• Safely and securely exchange contact information at the conference with a simple click of a button on the Mingle360. There will be no need to schlep around business cards or vendors’ collateral this year, as every attendee will receive a Mingle360 to record every connection you choose to make.

Be sure to visit www.fraudconference.com to register or to learn more.

What is your favorite early memory of networking? Leave us your comments below.

New Year's Resolution #1: Take the ACFE Annual Fraud Conference to New Places

#1: TAKE THE ACFE ANNUAL FRAUD CONFERENCE TO NEW PLACES

By Kerrie Metschan, ACFE Event Marketing Manager

From “Sin City” to “The Windy City” to “Beantown,” the ACFE’s Annual Fraud Conference and Exhibition has traveled about as many miles as a CNN international news correspondent. We have selected some of the most exciting and beautiful places across the country to host our biggest conference of the year.

For the past 21 years, the ACFE Annual Fraud Conferences have reunited old friends and professional connections, introduced incredible opportunities to CFEs at all stages in their careers and served as a valuable networking event. We have welcomed keynote speakers, instructors and attendees who have contributed significantly to the global fight against fraud.

To celebrate our first visit to San Diego, we are thrilled to invite past annual attendees to take a stroll down memory lane this year by participating in the ACFE Fraud Conference and Exhibition Stroll Down Memory Lane Photo Contest. The top three winners (one from each category below) will receive a Flip digital camera to use at the upcoming 22^nd Annual Fraud Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, Calif. June 12-17.

We will start taking photo submissions next Wednesday, Jan. 12. You can enter a photo or photos from any of the past conferences in one of the following three categories: 

• People: posed photos of keynote speakers, instructors, tourists, friends and contacts
• Local Scenery:  photos of landmarks, sunsets, historic locations
• Candid Shots: candid photos of keynote speakers, instructors, tourists, friends and contact

Start digging through your photos from past ACFE Annual Fraud Conferences and check back on our website next week for complete details!

Inside Look: The CFE Exam Review Course and CFE Exam

AN INTERVIEW WITH

Brian Willingham, CFE
President, Diligentia Group Inc.
Brewster, NY

What led you to get your CFE credential?

I have always respected the ACFE, as well as the CFE credential, because it truly represents a fraud examiner who takes continued education and professionalism seriously. I have been an associate member of the ACFE since 2001, and after attending the ACFE’s annual conference, which was a great educational experience and a good opportunity to meet other people from different fields of fraud, I felt like it was time. Like most people, I was pressed for time to devote towards taking the CFE Exam and decided that the Review Course was the way to go. 

Why did you choose to attend the four-day CFE Exam Review Course in Las Vegas, Nev. rather than study and/or take the exam on your own?

Regardless of how disciplined you believe you are, there are always things that come up between work and your personal life that make it a constant challenge to maintain self studies. I had considered taking the Review Course for some time since it really does force you to devote a few days to intensively prepare for the exam. 

What did you most enjoy about the course?

Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA, CVA, John Gill, J.D., CFE and Ryan Hubbs, CFE, CIA, CCSA, PHR, CFS, did an incredible job of focusing us on the key concepts and providing a step-by-step approach to prepare for the exam. It was a great environment where I could ask questions and have one-on-one time with the instructors. With the sample exams available on my laptop, I was able to go to back to my hotel room each night and go over prep exam questions to reinforce what I learned earlier that day. Having the opportunity to take the exam upon completion of the course, as well as learning my results immediately following, were added bonuses. 

Did you feel like you were prepared to take and pass the exam at the end of the course?

Absolutely. It is still natural to have anxiousness or doubt that I did not prepare enough, but after scoring well on my practice exams, I felt confident going in at the end of the course. Given the volume of information covered in the exam, I would highly recommend the course to anyone seeking an advantage to be more focused and prepared.

How do you think having your CFE will impact your practice, Diligentia Group Inc., and your fraud detection efforts?

Understanding fraud is an evolving practice that takes consistent further education. As Gill put it so eloquently during the Review Course, fraud doesn't go away, it just changes. In order to be ahead of the game in this business you have to continue to be aware of current trends, and open to new ideas and theories. The ACFE offers an endless amount of resources for people in the business of fraud. Between the educational opportunities and the network of contacts I have developed through the ACFE, I believe that being a CFE will pay back dividends in many ways for years to come. 

To view a schedule of upcoming CFE Exam Review Courses and other events, go here.