Austin, TX —The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is proud to award Mr. Nickolas Montano, CFE the designation "Certified Fraud Examiner" (CFE). The Association's Board of Regents awards this designation only to select professionals who meet a stringent set of criteria, including strict character, experience, and education requirements. Mr. Montano has successfully met these criteria and now joins the ranks of over 15,000 business and government professionals who have also earned the CFE certification. CFEs are responsible for resolving a wide range of allegations of fraud and white-collar crime. They have the expertise to obtain evidence; take statements and write reports; testify to findings; and assist in all aspects of detecting and preventing white-collar crime. CFEs are employed in a variety of industries, including the investigative divisions of corporations, private businesses, and government agencies.

The CFE designation is one of the Association's fundamental efforts against white-collar crime. Other efforts include training seminars on a wide variety of fraud issues; self-study courses; customized in-house fraud training for businesses and agencies; and the Uniform CFE Examination. This rigorous exam is designed to assess a candidate's knowledge of four topics: financial transactions; the legal elements of fraud; criminology and ethics; and fraud investigation. Candidates must receive approval from the Association to take the exam based on education and professional experience. Of those approved, only one in five passes the exam on the first attempt. Successful examinees automatically earn the CFE designation.

As the professional organization for fraud examiners, the Association's international membership of 15,000 consists primarily of accountants, auditors, investigators, criminologists, lawyers, and law enforcement personnel. Joseph T. Wells, a CPA and former FBI Special Agent, founded the Association in 1988 for the purpose of reducing the incidence of fraud and white-collar crime. The Association achieves this goal by training members in the specialized techniques necessary to detect, investigate, and deter fraud—and by awarding the coveted CFE designation to deserving professionals like Mr. Montano.