| An epidemic of white-collar financial crime has | | | | doctored in some way. Terms like "computer |
| resulted in the development of specialized | | | | forensics and "accounting forensics" have entered |
| education programs focused on economic crime | | | | the lexicon of crime investigators as they begin |
| investigation and fraud management. These | | | | probing a crime scene that does not contain blood |
| college-level degree programs attract students | | | | evidence, signs of violence or even an obvious |
| who are interested in law enforcement and are | | | | victim. But these are certainly not victimless |
| attracted by the very unique nature of these | | | | crimes.Hundreds of major corporations, |
| types of crimes and the special investigative | | | | government institutions and law enforcement |
| techniques required to solve them.There seems | | | | agencies are staffing up with economic crime |
| to be no end to the greed in the hearts of some | | | | specialists, fraud investigators and fraud |
| professional business people. It isn't enough to | | | | management specialists. The need for qualified |
| have fancy cars, vacation homes and other lavish | | | | investigators has prompted colleges to develop |
| perks of the highly successful. Many selfish | | | | specialized curricula devoted to the study of |
| individuals have decided to play a risky game of | | | | economic crime prevention. Some schools feature |
| "milk-the-company-for-all-it's-worth" to fuel an | | | | Bachelor's and Master's Degree programs in |
| unhealthy appetite to acquire more "things" for no | | | | Economic Crime. The courses are usually |
| other reason than to have them. As a result, | | | | instructed by faculty members experienced in |
| books are cooked, balance sheets become | | | | economic crime investigation and computer crime |
| unbalanced and finally, as in the case of Enron, | | | | control. Right now, more than 90% of their |
| there is nothing left to share with the | | | | Bachelor's in Economic Crime Investigation |
| shareholders.Economic crime is a broad category | | | | graduates are working in professional positions |
| encompassing a variety of offenses all of which | | | | relevant to their career interests.Graduates with |
| are focused on bilking a private company, | | | | these unique, highly specialized degrees are in |
| government agency or other professional | | | | great demand. A number of colleges are now |
| institution out of their financial resources. | | | | making these programs available for online study. |
| Individuals at any level of an organization including, | | | | That means that, no matter what your current |
| as we have seen in recent years, the most senior | | | | commitments or time constraints, these very |
| management, may perpetrate these crimes. And | | | | attractive and potentially lucrative and rewarding |
| the methods that they use may be highly | | | | degree programs are available to almost anyone. |
| sophisticated including manipulating computer | | | | Who knows, at some point in the not-too-distant |
| systems or fudging accounting records.A fraud | | | | future you may be instrumental in finding, |
| investigator must be highly educated and well | | | | apprehending and convicting economic criminals |
| versed in the financial and technological systems | | | | that are stealing from us all. |
| and practices that may have been altered or | | | | |