Paid certification track
Fraud analyst certification, online — $49
Train free, then prove it. Sit the timed certification exam as a Certified OSINT Analyst or a Certified AML Analyst: 40 questions, 45 minutes, 80% to pass, three attempts included. You get a signed certificate and a permanent link an employer can check.
Timed closed-book exam
40 questions in 45 minutes. 80% to pass. Three attempts included.
Signed certificate
A printable certificate with your name, score, date and a unique credential number.
Public verification page
A permanent gacs.app link anyone — including an employer — can check.
LinkedIn credential entry
One click adds the credential to your LinkedIn profile with issuer, date and ID.
GACS Certified OSINT Analyst
Credential code GCOA · 40 questions · 45 minutes · 80% to pass
$49
one-time, includes 3 attempts
- Timed exam covering the whole free course
- Signed, printable certificate
- Permanent public verification page
- LinkedIn credential entry
Study free first: Certified OSINT Analyst course
GACS Certified AML Analyst
Credential code GCAA · 40 questions · 45 minutes · 80% to pass
$49
one-time, includes 3 attempts
- Timed exam covering the whole free course
- Signed, printable certificate
- Permanent public verification page
- LinkedIn credential entry
Study free first: Certified AML Analyst course
How to become a certified fraud analyst
There is no single licence for “fraud analyst” the way there is for a doctor or an electrician. Employers hire on demonstrated skill, so the route that works is: learn the tradecraft, prove it with a graded exam, and give the hiring manager something they can verify. Here is that route, start to finish.
- 1
Take the free course
Eight lessons, about an hour, no card. Start with OSINT if you want investigation work, AML if you want compliance work.
- 2
Check yourself as you go
Knowledge checks after lesson 4 and lesson 8, then a 10-question practice quiz. Unlimited retakes — the point is to learn, not to gatekeep.
- 3
Sit the certification exam — $49
40 questions, 45 minutes, closed book, 80% to pass. Three attempts are included in the one payment and nothing expires.
- 4
Share a credential that can be checked
You get a signed certificate with a unique number, a permanent public verification page, and a one-click LinkedIn credential entry.
What a fraud certification costs
The established professional credentials are excellent and widely recognised — and priced for people whose employer is paying. GACS exists for everyone else. Figures below are the published fees at the time of writing; check each body’s own site before you commit, because they change.
| Credential | Typical cost | Experience required | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| GACS Certified OSINT / AML Analyst | $49 one-time (training free) | None | None |
| CFE (ACFE) | Roughly $1,000–$1,500 with membership and prep | Degree plus qualifying experience, points-based | Annual membership plus CPE hours |
| CAMS (ACAMS) | Roughly $2,000+ with membership | 40 qualifying credits | Every 3 years |
Read the longer breakdowns: what a CFE actually costs, GACS compared with ACFE and is CAMS worth it.
Who this is for
- Career-changers moving from support, chargebacks or paralegal work into fraud
- Analysts already doing the work who need something on paper
- Compliance and KYC staff who want the AML side documented
- Investigators and journalists who use OSINT and want it recognised
- Students and jobseekers who cannot justify a four-figure exam fee
What an employer can verify
Every pass issues a unique credential number and a permanent page at gacs.app/credential/<number>. Anyone can open it — no account, no login — and see the holder’s name, the exam, the date and the score. That is the part a PDF certificate cannot do, and it is the part a hiring manager actually checks.
See a sample credential pageStart free
You do not have to decide now. Both courses are free and always will be — the $49 only buys the exam and the credential.
What this credential is — and is not
GACS certifications are independent credentials issued by Global Anti-Crime & Safety. They are not a government licence, and they are not an accredited academic qualification. They show that you passed a timed, closed-book exam on published material, and every certificate can be checked by anyone at its public verification link.
Authoritative sources
Independent primary sources used to check and corroborate the guidance on this page.
- NIST National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)
US national framework for cybersecurity work roles and competencies.
- Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Global AML/CFT standards referenced by financial-crime curricula.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — Annual Reports
Primary loss and typology data used in fraud-investigation training.
- US Federal Trade Commission — Consumer Sentinel Data Book
Official complaint statistics for teaching fraud trend analysis.
