TDCI Investigator Earns Profile in National Consumer Protection Publication

NASHVILLE – The consumer protection work of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Securities Division is earning national attention courtesy of a recent profile of TDCI Financial Services Investigator Monica Meeks in Fraud Magazine, a publication of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Meeks shared details from her 12-year career of financial investigations including memorable cases, advice for young people, and the value of having earned her Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. A retired U.S. Army veteran, Meeks previously served as a uniformed officer with the Tennessee Bureau Investigation as well as a legislative investigative auditor with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury before joining TDCI in 2016.

“Monica is especially deserving of this attention as she sets the standard for our Financial Services Investigation Unit section,” said Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Bowling. “She is detail-oriented and focuses on getting the facts right while also being empathetic toward consumers who may have been the victim of a financial scammer.”

During the interview with Fraud Magazine, Meeks shared some observations from her career:

• “As a financial services investigator for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, I examine fraud, waste and abuse committed by insurance producers and others who conduct business with the state of Tennessee. My unit determines if a case warrants an official investigation. We review complaints and verify information about respondents and review supporting exhibits. We also interview complainants.”
• “Fraudsters do not discriminate; anyone can be a fraud victim. Establishing rapport with anybody is one of the best things I’ve learned. I am just as comfortable conducting interviews in Memphis, Tennessee, as I am in Tazewell, Tennessee. I love speaking to people who have been overlooked or marginalized and listening to their stories.”
• “Last fall, I spoke to students at the West Creek High School Academy of Criminal Justice & Homeland Security in Montgomery County, Tennessee. I dared them to be different and told them they don’t need to look or speak a specific way to be successful fraud fighters. I advised them to listen more than talk and described how I started my criminal justice career as a uniformed officer with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and how much I learned from it.

The full interview can be found online here.

Tennesseans who feel they may have been the victim of a financial fraud should contact the Financial Services Investigation Unit of TDCI’s Securities Division at (615) 741-5900 or by email at securities.1@tn.gov.

A photo of Monica Meeks can be found here.

###