Brooke Paone
Editor’s Note: The Happy Beginnings series features recent College of Arts & Sciences graduates who are getting started in careers, graduate school and service.
Ohio University alum Brooke Paone ’14 says she has found her passion tracking down fraud and working as a Business Operations Analyst for Dell.
She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology-Criminology from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University, then almost immediately started working as an Inside Casualty Claims Service Adjuster for Allstate.
It was a position where she gained experience with investigation.
She then went to work for a financial recovery and management firm where she had the opportunity to work with their client, Dell.
She says she fell in love with Dell as a whole while she was working on a project for Dell’s Fraud Department, where she worked for a year.
Paone felt as if she had truly found her passion.
However, she realized that there was so much more she needed to learn to really be in the mindset to think one step ahead of the fraudsters.
Which is how she came into her current role, working directly for Dell as a Business Operations Analyst.
In this role Paone works on a lot of “behind the scenes” tools and updates that really keep the processes flowing correctly. This role has helped her to expand her knowledge of Dell processes, tools, and products so that one day she can have that advantage against the fraudsters.
Paone’s goal is to continue to grow her knowledge on the back end of Dell processes, so that she can move back to Fraud and be that much more efficient as an investigator.
In July 2017 she earned her certification and is now a Certified Fraud Examiner, bring her closed to her long term goals. With this certification she will continue her education through the association, which also provides her with opportunities to meet incredible individuals who share her interests.
Her OHIO Experience
There were a number of instances throughout her career at Ohio University that pushed Paone towards a career in anti-fraud.
One of the biggest was her internship with the Athens County Sheriff’s office that was set up through Soc 4910 taught by Roberta Roberson.
In this internship, she shadowed one of their lead detectives for an entire semester, which for her was truly a dream.
“That internship made me realize my true passion for investigation and fraud in general,” Paone says.
Another big influence in her passion for criminal investigation was Professor Vander Ven. She describes all of the classes with him as influential and beneficial, with almost all of his classes discussion-based where he taught students to think like the criminal and to understand why they do what they do. To Paone this idea and outlook is truly one of the most important attributes of a fraud investigator.
“I knew from a young age that I was passionate about fraud investigation however, it was truly my education and experiences at Ohio University that provided me with the knowledge and skill set needed to chase my dreams.”
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