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- Challenging and interesting work investigating and helping prevent fraudulent behaviour
- You may need to carry out surveillance, searches and arrests in some roles
- There are opportunities to work in both the public and private sector
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Investigating cases where fraudulent behaviour has been detected or is suspected
- Collecting evidence
- Analysing the evidence
- Preparing the material to make a case against those who you believe to have committed fraud
- In some roles you may need to carry out arrests, attend court to obtain warrants or give evidence, and you may also need to undertake surveillance and carry out searches.
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
As a fraud investigator you might work for a government or public sector organisation like HM Revenue & Customs, the police, or the crown prosecution service, or you might work for a commercial organisation like an insurance or credit card company.
You'll need
Some people move into fraud investigation after a role in the police or with the crown prosecution service, but you may be able to apply directly for trainee or apprenticeship positions in some roles and receive on the job training. In the private sector it's possible to apply directly for roles based in contact centres that are designed to prevent and detect fraud for insurance or financial services companies.
You'll usually need to demonstrate that you have the ability to research and investigate criminal activity, the ability to work in a team and build up a rapport with people, and a strong sense of responsibility.
CAREER PROSPECTS
You could specialise in a particular kind of fraud like insurance fraud, benefit fraud, tax fraud, credit card fraud, or commercial accounting fraud, and there is a growing need for IT specialists in this field who can track online and technology-based fraud.