A neutral evaluation guide for small fraud units — before the demo dazzles you.
A small unit feels every wrong number, every confusing screen, and every dollar. The features that look effortless in a polished demo aren't always the ones that survive a real case — or a defense expert. Before you commit a budget and a caseload to any vendor, ask these seven questions, and ask to see the answers on your own data, not the sample file that ships with the demo.
Finding the error is the hard part. A tool that transcribes but never checks its own arithmetic leaves your investigator hunting a broken balance by hand across hundreds of rows. Ask to see all three steps on real data: a discrepancy flagged visibly on screen against a running calculated balance, corrected in place by the investigator, and then logged — who changed what, when, and provably unaltered since.
Opposing counsel challenges methodology under Daubert and Frye. "The software determined it" is not testimony anyone can defend on the stand. You need to be able to walk a method from source record to conclusion, in plain language.
An FRE 1006 summary only holds up if the underlying record is right there behind it. Traceability you can demonstrate live is the baseline — confirm it on a real statement rather than taking it on faith.
You handle confidential investigations. Ask whether any processing or review is outsourced or crowdsourced, and whether the vendor can name every person in the chain. Chain of custody and confidentiality can matter as much as the analysis itself.
Filtering by account, date, or payee looks trivial — until it breaks on a real, messy statement. Test the boring functions you'll use every single day, on your own records, before you sign.
Enterprise tools assume enterprise staffing — a dedicated analyst, a training budget, an implementation team. A small unit needs a tool its investigators can use themselves on day one, without a specialist standing between them and the work.
Enterprise pricing assumes a large, predictable caseload and a procurement cycle to match. A small unit's volume swings from case to case. Ask the direct questions: is there a minimum? An annual contract? What happens if you use less than you forecast — do you lose it? Can you start small, prove it on one matter, and scale only if it earns its place? Budgets are tight and federally accountable, and a commitment made before the tool is proven is the one you'll regret.
eFraud Investigator was designed for small forensic and investigative teams that have to defend their work in court — where the investigator decides, every figure traces to its source, and nothing is left to a black box. See how it answers every one of these questions — on one of your own cases, not a demo file.
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A neutral evaluation guide — the questions apply to any vendor.
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