At the Intersection of Filmmaking and Fraud Investigations

/
At the Intersection of Filmmaking and Fraud Investigations

Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez are storytellers by trade. But these filmmakers, directors and producers of the HBO docuseries “McMillion$” and the Apple TV+ docuseries “The Big Conn” align their styles closely with that of a fraud examiner. In front of a packed crowd at the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, the Emmy-nominated pair discussed their process of “investigating an investigation,” conducting effective interviews with both criminals and their victims, and truly understanding the long-term impacts of fraud.

Read More

Unpacking the Mysteries of Cryptocurrency

/
Unpacking the Mysteries of Cryptocurrency

With more and more fraudsters working in the shadows of the crypto world, investigators of all kinds must become familiar with these new and evolving technologies. A panel of four experts helped unpack these mysteries at the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference in a session entitled “Cryptocurrency Tracing and Investigations: Real-World Successes and Challenges.”

Indeed, chasing scammers in the borderless world of cyberspace presents its own unique challenges. Not only are the legal parameters of this ever-changing technology still fuzzy and global in nature, but simply gathering the necessary evidence can prove tricky.

Read More

Building Your Scams Playbook 

/
Building Your Scams Playbook 

On a daily basis, NICE Actimize, an anti-fraud and anti-money laundering company and one of the sponsors of the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, monitors five billion transactions and protects more than $6 trillion. NICE Actimize Global Head Fraud Market Strategy and Prevention – SME, Rob Rendell, CFE, used these statistics to break down scam trends he and his company have been seeing in the conference session, “Scams Playbook: Detect, Deter, and Prevent, Sponsored by NICE Actimize.” 

Read More

Becoming a Successful Online Sleuth in Your Investigations

/
Becoming a Successful Online Sleuth in Your Investigations

If you Google your name, you will find many tidbits on yourself that are, somehow, public information – even information that you tried very hard to keep private. It may be a nuisance to many, but to investigators, publicly available information or open-source intelligence (OSINT) is quite handy. This was the subject of “Use Public Information to Your Advantage in Fraud Investigations,” an educational session from ACFE Regent and Senior Vice President of J.S. Held LLC, Natalie Lewis, CFE, CPA/CFF.

Read More

Deepfake Threats and How to Counter Them

/
Deepfake Threats and How to Counter Them

“Technology is neither good nor bad,” said spy and human hacker, Peter Warmka, CFE, CPP, at the early morning session on the final main conference day of the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. It depends on how it’s being used. Deepfakes and artificial intelligence (AI), just like other types of technology, can be used for good purposes as well as manipulation and to cause harm. Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) can respond by understanding the technology, countering its risks and constant verification. 

Read More

Strength Through Numbers: Building Up an Army of Fraud Fighters

/
Strength Through Numbers: Building Up an Army of Fraud Fighters

To prevent fraud within your organization, you will need to build an army of fraud fighters. This was the general message Mary Breslin, CFE, CIA, ACA conveyed in her educational session at the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, titled “Fraud Awareness 2.0: An Army of Fraud Fighters.” 

So, why does an army need to be established? According to Breslin, most people are not 100% clear on what fraud is and those people need some help learning about fraud through examples. Many people don’t know how to differentiate waste and abuse from fraud, so that’s where we can come in and provide a little nudge.

Read More

Strategies for Tackling Elder Fraud

/
Strategies for Tackling Elder Fraud

Amy Nofziger, CFE, director of victim support for AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, led a lively – and sometimes sobering  – conversation with attendees during her roundtable discussion of elder fraud on Wednesday, the last day of the 34th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. During the session, attendees put their heads together to strategize ways to help people realize when they’ve been victimized by a romance scam, erase the stigma of being a victim of fraud, contemplate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on consumer fraud and how to talk to loved ones about fraud.

Read More