CFE-Investigation ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) - Investigation Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The manual explains:

“After the interviewer establishes rapport through normal conversation, he must observe the respondent’s reactions. This will serve as a baseline for observing behaviour when questions that are more sensitive are asked.”

A neutral, non-threatening question such as“How long have you been in this department?”is ideal for establishing a baseline.

When obtaining a verbal confession, the fraud examiner should secure details such as: admission of wrongdoing, number of instances, amount involved, dates, involvement of others, residual assets, and motive. However, itdoes not matter whether the suspect claims the conduct was an accident; that is not necessary to record.

Wire transfer records include specific transactional details:

“The information contained on a wire transfer generally will include…the amount of the transfer, the date, the name of the sender, the routing number of the originating bank, the identity of the beneficiary, [and] the routing number of the recipient bank”.

They donotlist things like the type of money order, customs port of entry, or government ID numbers (CFE Prep explicitly states that recipient government IDs are not typically included).

Guidance on reports:

“A fraud examination report should be accurate, clear, and impartial. The fraud examiner should avoid technical jargon where possible and write in plain language so that readers without specialized knowledge can understand”.

Reports should only include relevant, factual findings—not every detail or opinion.

So, the most accurate statement is that jargon should be avoided.

“Deleted files are recoverable until they are overwritten because data is not erased until it is overwritten… Deleted files that have been overwritten generally are not recoverable”.

Other data such as time/date stamps, websites, or chats can often be retrieved.

Phone records are classified asnonpublic records. TheFraud Examiners Manualexplains that personal telephone and mobile records usually requireconsent, subpoena, or warrantto access. Public records, by contrast, include real property ownership and corporate filings. Therefore,Bis correct.

The manual emphasizes that interviews—especially with subjects in other jurisdictions—poselegal and cultural considerations. Fraud examiners must considercultural norms (such as personal space, body language, and eye contact) and jurisdiction-specific lawsgoverning the use of information from interviews. In particular, some jurisdictions limit how interview information can later be used. Therefore, the most accurate statement is that the examiner should verify such limitations before proceeding.

The Manual says admission-seeking interviews should be conducted only when:

There is reasonable probability the subject committed the act,

All other reasonable investigative steps are complete, and

“The interviewer can reasonably control the place, time, and subject matter of the interview.”.Therefore, Erica must ensure control oftime, place, and contentbefore scheduling.

TheFraud Examiners Manualadvises:

“Do not slow down the interview process for note-taking. Instead, jot down key words … In general, it is better to err on the side of taking too few notes rather than too many.”

Therefore, the best practice isC.