Economic crime is on the rise. Identity theft, Ponzi schemes, and insurance fraud have become all too commonplace. In both the United States and abroad, economic and specialist crime units are now as plentiful as homicide units, and frequently as busy with their caseloads.
Corporations and individuals now employ their own private teams of economic crime managers. For the worst reasons imaginable, a whole new career path is opening up, and its potential is seemingly as unlimited as that of economic crime itself.
A masters degree in Economic Crime represents a doorway to a compelling and still expanding career. As the field of economic crime investigation and prevention continues to grow, so too will the demand for individuals with proper, related credentials. Not only can a Masters degree in Economic Crime serve to protect oneself and one’s family and friends, but the degree translates easily into a law enforcement career, or a career as a private contractor to whom economic crime investigation and prevention may be outsourced. Or one can establish oneself as an independent consultant, aiding both businesses and individuals with the task of effectively guarding against future economic crime.
A Masters degree in Economic Crime prepares you for a career in a wide array of investigative and crime prevention roles. Considering all the various kinds of economic crime that abound, it’s no wonder this degree is already quite priceless. At the FBI’s website, for example, the following are listed as economic crimes that in recent years have become more prevalent: Securities and commodities fraud (insider trading, Forex fraud, precious metals fraud), subprime fraud, investment fraud (ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes, promissory note frauds), broker embezzlement, and market manipulation.
Person to person economic crime, namely identity theft, is typically handled at the local level, unless a particular criminal is a serial offender whose activity straddles state lines. In both cases, specialists in economic crime units assist investigators, drawing upon management, technology, and analytical skills enhanced by a global perspective.
As these crimes (and economic criminals) become more abundant, and with the proliferation of technology and the world’s newly mobile residency among the “clouds”, specialists trained to tackle and combat these scenarios will soon be in high demand. At the moment, all but a handful of the 50 states boast an official economic crime unit. Smaller units exist at the county level, typically linked with sheriffs’ offices.
Corporations are beginning to see the value of having in-house teams of economic crime specialists so they do not have to bring in the police; it’s often bad publicity until they can answer questions with some details.
A masters degree in Economic Crime is easily completed in two years, and entails a wide variety of curriculum designed to produce the most skill-heavy, knowledgeable, capable economic crime specialist possible. The program, whichrriculum designed to produce the most skill-heavy, knowledgeable, capable economic crime specialist possible. The program, whic culminates in a thesis, consists of courses as legality and fraud, information/communication security, and management of fraud, to name but a few.
Now is the time to get in on this exciting, diverse, and still growing field. Protect yourself, and others, while performing a vital, exhilarating job.
