Fraud examiners, investigators, and analysts detect and prevent financial crimes by analyzing data, reviewing records, and gathering evidence. You'll need a bachelor's degree and strong analytical skills. The work is detail-oriented, in demand, and offers solid career growth.
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Fraud examiners, investigators, and analysts uncover financial crimes and misconduct by getting information from sources, analyzing data and records, and working with computers to spot patterns and inconsistencies. You'll communicate findings to supervisors and peers, make decisions about next steps, and process large amounts of information to build cases. The role involves writing reports, reading complex documents, and speaking clearly about sensitive findings. You'll apply knowledge of law, accounting, economics, and administration to investigate suspected fraud in organizations, financial institutions, and government agencies.
Core work activities
Career video courtesy of CareerOneStop.
Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts earn a median of $81,100 a year, based on 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and location.
The outlook is steady. Employment is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as average for all occupations, with about 10,300 openings a year.
Top skills
Knowledge areas
You'll need a bachelor's degree to enter this field. Your coursework should emphasize accounting, law, economics, and business administration. Strong preparation includes developing skills in writing, critical thinking, active listening, and mathematics. Many people in this role come from accounting, finance, or criminal justice backgrounds. Look for internships or entry-level positions in compliance, auditing, or investigations to build experience. Your counselor can help you find bachelor's programs that align with fraud examination and map out your path.
Most people enter this career through a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field. If you're deciding between programs or want to map out your steps from now through your first role, Pathly can map the fraud examiner, investigator and analyst path that fits you with your counselor to build a plan that fits your timeline and goals.
You do not need a license to work as a fraud examiner, investigator and analyst, but professional certifications can strengthen your resume.
Common certifications
You're drawn to systems, order, and accuracy. You like working with data and rules, solving problems methodically, and communicating findings clearly to others.
Reading about a career is the easy part. Turning it into a plan is where most students get stuck. Pathly takes you from curious to a clear next step, and gives your counselor the insight to champion you along the way.
Start with a quick quiz and assessments that surface your personality, your EQ, and what really motivates you, so your next steps are built around who you actually are.
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Get a personalized, step-by-step plan to reach this career, with the training, coursework, and credentials tracked in one place. Link your school or IEC and your counselor in the loop.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
Data sources. Career details from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Salary and outlook figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 wages; 2024–2034 projections), delivered via the CareerOneStop API. Certification, licensing, wage, and outlook data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).