In 1993, a group of fraud fighters in Sacramento, California, formed an educational non-profit corporation to help meet local needs for low-cost training programs. Since the inception of our non-profit corporation, we have been dedicated to providing affordable, quality training opportunities.

Between 1993 and 1998, our non-profit corporation operated under the name of the Gold Rush Chapter of the National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. Due to members migrating to new jobs and locations and a growing interest in our high-quality, low-cost training programs, our activities expanded to provide training to anti-fraud professionals from multiple states. In 1998, our membership made the decision to restructure from a local, non-profit into a national entity and changed our corporate name to its current name of Association of Certified Fraud Specialists, Inc.

Armed with a record of success and followers, in 1999, after completing the restructuring and name change, together with confirmation from the IRS that the changes did not impact our non-profit status, the Association of Certified Fraud Specialists, Inc. was off with a running start. The core of who we were remained unchanged -– an organization built by anti-fraud professionals, dedicated to serving our membership and the public. Inspired with a renewed commitment, our membership chose “Knowledge, Service, Truth” as the ACFS motto and had it embedded as part of our national emblem.