Several bitcoin representations laying on pattern of circuitry.

Certificate in Financial Crime Investigation (Online)

Protect vital assets and become an essential part of any organization.

Fraud is everywhere and the white-collar criminals responsible are constantly finding new ways to trick defenses and exploit vulnerabilities in financial systems. Rather than become the latest victim, companies everywhere are hiring professionals with the skills to protect their assets.

By setting yourself apart with an online certificate, and the skills it represents, you’ll take the first step toward joining the front lines in the fight against fraud.

► $800 Billion to $2 trillion
Estimated laundered money each year around the world¹

► 1,774
Data breaches in 2022, affecting more than 392 million victims²

► 5%
Average annual revenue loss to internally committed fraud³

A certified fraud analyst holds positions like these:

Financial Examiner

Monitor the activities and systems of financial institutions, evaluate processes and practices for vulnerabilities and risk, and make recommendations to improve financial stability.

Fraud Investigator

Gather and analyze evidence, conduct interviews and interrogations, and build a case to identify and bring responsible parties to justice.

Forensic Accountant

By carefully analyzing financial data, forensic accountants are able to trace the path of funds through accounting systems and processes to identify where fraud has occurred and identify those responsible.

Sources:

1. Money Laundering. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/money-laundering/overview.html.
2. 2022 Annual Data Breach Year-End Review. (2022). Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.idtheftcenter.org/publication/2022-data-breach-report/.
3. (2018). Report to the Nations: 2018 Global Study on Occupational Fraud and Abuse. Retrieved January 7, 2019, from https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/acfepublic/2018-report-to-the-nations.pdf.

Online Certificate in Financial Crime Investigation Faculty

Benefit from our faculty members’ extensive fraud-management experience in risk analysis, fraud prevention, and financial crime investigation across the public and private sectors. Learn from their real-world perspective and leave the program with a professional network of experts.

Suzanne Lynch, M.S.
Professor, Financial Crime and Compliance Management

Suzanne Lynch, M.S., has global experience in risk analysis and fraud control development and investigations in the financial services industry. She has held fraud management positions at MasterCard Worldwide, Goldman Sachs, and Comerica Bank.

In these positions, she was responsible for overseeing electronic banking fraud and implementing fraud control procedures.

Lynch also conducted fraud operations reviews on banks to determine the levels of existing fraud controls, global fraud investigations, and third-party processing system risk controls.

Lynch has led training sessions on fraud detection and investigations for global law enforcement groups and financial institutions throughout the world. She also consults for fraud detection software companies in the New York City area. At Utica University, Lynch developed and enhanced course materials and created specific courses for both graduate and undergraduate financial crime programs. She served as the lead academic for the program’s new prevention and detection concentration and the redesign of the undergraduate online certificate program—adding courses that enhance relevancy to the investigation of financial crime.

Her outreach efforts have drawn in entities like the Association of Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the New York National Guard to invest professional effort in aligning respective personnel with tailored certificate programs.

Honors and Distinctions

M.S. in Economic Crime Management, Utica University
B.S. in Criminal Justice, Wayne State University
Former Director of the Financial Crime and Compliance Management Program, Utica University, 2001–2015
Former Director of Corporate and Professional Programs, Utica University
Assistant Executive Director of The Economic Crime Institute, Utica University

Donald J. Rebovich, Ph.D.
Professor, Criminal Justice | Coordinator, Financial Crime Investigation and Financial Crime and Compliance Management

Before joining Utica in 2001, Donald J. Rebovich, Ph.D., served as research director for the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the American Prosecutors Research Institute, where he was responsible for directing the analysis of internet crime report data and the National Public Survey on White Collar Crime. Rebovich serves as executive director of Utica’s Center for Identity Management and Information Protection.

Dr. Rebovich is the author of Dangerous Ground: The World of Hazardous Waste Crime, which presented the results of the first empirical study of environmental crime in the United States, and co-author of the 2015 U.S. Department of Justice study, Hiding in Plain Sight? A Nationwide Study of the Use of Identity Manipulation by Registered Sex Offenders. Rebovich is also co-editor of The New Technology of Crime, Law and Social Control.

Rebovich has served as an advisor to The Global Center for Evidence-Based Corrections and Sentencing and to the U.S. Department of Justice on tribal technology, information sharing, and environmental crime control.

Honors and Distinctions

Published author and pioneer for environmental crime research
More than 15 years teaching criminal justice with Utica University
B.S. in Psychology from the College of New Jersey
M.A. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University
Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University

Selected Publications

Rebovich, D. (2015) Dangerous Ground: The World of Hazardous Waste Crime. Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.
Rebovich, D. (Principal Investigator), Byrne, J. (Research Coordinator), Et al. (2015) Hiding in Plain Sight? A Nationwide Study of the Use of Identity Manipulation by Registered Sex Offenders. Utica, New York: Utica University.

Frequently Asked Questions

Advancing your life and career with an online degree comes with lots of questions, and we want to ensure your search for answers is effortless.

To learn more, speak with an enrollment counselor by calling (315) 792-3333.

You can complete the Financial Crime Investigation certificate program in just one year. View our curriculum.

The total estimated tuition for the Financial Crime Investigation certificate is $8,100. You need to complete 18 credits at $450 per credit hour. Review all tuition costs.

Utica University’s suite of financial crime programs is nationally acclaimed and has been formally recognized for its excellence by the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA).

Admission to the Financial Crime Investigation certificate program does not require any exam scores. Review the admission requirements.

Relevant work experience is recommended, but not required for admission into the Financial Crime Investigation certificate program. Review the admission requirements.

You’ll complete 6 courses to earn the Financial Crime Investigation certificate. Learn more about coursework for the Financial Crime Investigation certificate.

Curriculum: 18 Credits to Fighting Fraud

In 18 credit hours, you’ll cover the basics of forensic accounting and financial crime law, then delve deeper into the principles and practices related to the tools and techniques employed in the prevention, detection, and investigation of fraud and financial crime.

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Online Certificate in Financial Crime Investigation Admission Requirements

To apply to this undergraduate certificate, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

Completed application
$40 Application Fee
Minimum 2.5 GPA on a scale of 4.0
All students seeking enrollment must supply official transcripts from the most recent course(s) taken and their high school conferral transcript. International students: As part of the admissions process, we require an evaluation of your overseas degree and transcripts to determine their equivalency to a U.S. associate degree with minimum GPA of 2.5 or relevant work experience. You may use the following universal organization: https://www.wes.org.
Résumé including a detailed work history that highlights any experience that may be relevant to this program. Relevant work experience is recommended, but not required.

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Tuition and Financial Aid

This 18-credit online certificate costs $450 per credit hour. Utica University is dedicated to making an advanced education accessible and affordable. Learn more about financial aid, including grants, student loans, and other options, on the Financial Aid tab of our Graduate Admissions page.

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