6.1 Interview theory, question types & rapport

Why Interviewing Matters

An interview is a structured question-and-answer session designed to elicit information, and it differs from ordinary conversation because it has a defined purpose and one participant who controls where it is heading. The Certified Fraud Examiner treats interviewing as the single most productive investigative technique, because documents rarely explain motive and people often reveal what records conceal. ACFE methodology organizes every interview around a predictable arc so the examiner governs pace, sequence, and tone rather than surrendering them to the subject.

Preparing Before the Interview

Before any interview, the examiner reviews the available evidence, defines the objective, and decides the sequence of subjects. Preparation determines which questions will be informational and which, if any, will become admission-seeking. The examiner also selects a private, neutral location and, for potentially confrontational interviews, arranges for a second person to witness the session without participating. This groundwork lets the examiner listen actively during the interview instead of scrambling to formulate questions, and it ensures volatile subjects are scheduled last.

The Five Types of Questions

ACFE teaches that interview questions fall into five categories, asked in a deliberate order. Not every interview uses all five; admission-seeking questions in particular are reserved for the end and only when guilt is reasonably certain.

Introductory questions open the session. They establish rapport, provide a non-threatening theme or reason for the meeting, get the subject talking and committed to cooperating, and let the examiner observe the subject's normal, or baseline, behavior. The examiner deliberately avoids revealing the true depth of the inquiry.

Informational questions form the bulk of most interviews, and their goal is to gather unbiased factual information. They take three forms. Open questions invite a narrative response, such as "Tell me how invoices get approved here." Closed questions require a specific answer — a date, a number, or a yes or no. Leading questions suggest their own answer ("You approved that invoice, didn't you?") and are used mainly to confirm facts the examiner already knows.

Assessment questions are used only when the examiner must evaluate the subject's credibility — that is, calibrate truthfulness. Through a process called norming or calibrating, the examiner first establishes how the subject behaves when answering honest, non-sensitive questions, then watches for changes in verbal and non-verbal behavior when sensitive topics arise. Hypothetical and attitude questions ("Why do you think someone in your position might do this?") help gauge reactions without direct accusation.

Closing questions reconfirm the key facts, seek any additional information or leads, and maintain goodwill so the subject remains willing to be re-interviewed later. The examiner leaves the door open.

Admission-seeking questions are directed only at subjects whose culpability appears reasonably certain; they are the subject of Section 6.2.

The Funnel Approach and Sequencing

Within the informational phase, examiners use the funnel approach: begin with broad, open questions that let the subject speak freely, then progressively narrow to closed and specific questions that pin down details. Open questions generate volume and preserve the subject's own words; closed questions verify and lock down specifics. Starting narrow risks contaminating the subject's recollection and prematurely signaling what the examiner already knows.

Sequencing across a whole investigation follows a parallel logic: interview neutral and friendly witnesses first and move toward the target last. Neutral third parties supply background without tipping off the suspect, and cooperative witnesses are approached before hostile ones. By the time the examiner reaches the target, the facts are largely established, so the examiner can recognize evasions and, where warranted, transition into an admission-seeking interview. The most volatile interviews are saved for last, because a blown interview usually cannot be repeated under the same conditions.

Building and Maintaining Rapport

Rapport is the psychological bridge that makes a subject willing to talk. It is built through genuine attention, an appropriate matching of tone, finding common ground, and treating the subject with respect regardless of suspicion. The examiner stays calm, patient, and non-judgmental; expressions of shock, disgust, or accusation early on destroy cooperation. Good rapport also produces the baseline the examiner needs later — only by observing a relaxed, truthful subject can the examiner recognize meaningful deviations once tougher questions arrive.

Practical techniques include using the subject's name, opening with easy background questions, listening far more than talking, minimizing intrusive note-taking during sensitive moments, and controlling the environment for privacy and comfort. The examiner asks one question at a time, avoids compound or confusing phrasing, and lets silence do work, because subjects frequently fill a pause with valuable information. Handled this way, the interview stays under the examiner's control from the first handshake to the closing question.