OPA staff gains designation as a certified fraud examiner

Wilma Atalig-Fejeran of the Office of the Public Auditor has passed the exam to gain the designation of Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

She joins an elite group of professionals who are committed to protecting the global economy by exposing fraud and implementing procedures to prevent it from happening in the first place.

In order to become a CFE, Atalig-Fejeran has met a stringent set of criteria and passed a rigorous exam administered by the ACFE while also agreeing to abide by the CFE Code of Professional Ethics.

Atalig-Fejeran has also demonstrated knowledge in four areas critical to the fight against fraud: fraudulent financial transactions, fraud prevention and deterrence, legal elements of fraud, and fraud investigation.

The preparation materials and exam itself were made accessible to Atalig-Fejeran through a technical assistance grant from the Department of the Interior. OPA applied for and was awarded the grant in 2015.

Wilma Atalig-Fejeran

Atalig-Fejeran has been employed with OPA since October 2003. She started as an administrative assistant, but later began work as an intern analyst with OPA’s former Ethics and Compliance Division. In 2006, Atalig-Fejeran received her Associate of Applied Sciences in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Applications with cum laude honors. Later, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the Northern Marianas College in May 2009, where she was a magna cum laude.

Atalig-Fejeran is now an audit senior in the Audit Unit. Aside from in-house training at OPA, Atalig-Fejeran also attended a two-week training program called the Lakewood Experience sponsored by the Office of the Inspector General in Lakewood, Colorado in June 2016 as well as various trainings offered by the Association of Pacific Island Public Auditors and the USA Graduate School.

The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education, with more than 85,000 members.

CFE designees represent the highest standards held by the association and possess expertise in all aspects of the anti-fraud profession. CFEs have the ability to: examine data and records to detect and trace fraudulent transactions; interview suspects to obtain information and confessions; write investigation reports; advise clients as to their findings; testify at trial; understand the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations; and identify the underlying factors that motivate individuals to commit fraud. CFEs on six continents have investigated more than a million suspected cases of civil and criminal fraud. (PR)