Don't Be Scared of the Data

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Don't Be Scared of the Data

Beyond traditional sources of data lie valuable alternative sources. Bringing these various data sources together to develop a hypothesis for an investigation may seem intimidating at first, but in her session at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference titled, “Leveraging Traditional and Alternative Data in Investigations,” Lacey Keller, data science managing director at Gryphon Strategies, demonstrated a common-sense approach to gathering and shaping data. The goal of doing so is to create a narrative that those outside of an investigation can easily understand.

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Theranos Whistleblower Risked His Relationship with His Family to Expose Fraud

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Theranos Whistleblower Risked His Relationship with His Family to Expose Fraud

In October 2015, Inc. magazine featured a young, blonde woman wearing a black turtleneck on its cover. Her name was Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of a company called Theranos, and they declared she was “the next Steve Jobs.” Theranos promised to revolutionize blood testing as the world knew it — and investors couldn’t throw money into the company fast enough.

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The Future of Anti-Fraud Technology

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The Future of Anti-Fraud Technology

Technological advancements present opportunities for both fraud perpetrators and those trying to stop them. As criminals find new ways to exploit technology to commit their schemes and target new potential victims, anti-fraud professionals must ensure they are likewise adopting new technologies that are the most effective in navigating the evolving threat landscape.

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Panama Papers’ Reporter Lauds Fraud Examiners for ‘Holding the Powerful Accountable’

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Panama Papers’ Reporter Lauds Fraud Examiners for ‘Holding the Powerful Accountable’

Grueling. Exhausting. Exciting. Satisfying. Bastian Obermayer, the recipient of the ACFE Guardian Award, and the deputy head of the investigative unit of the Munich-based newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, experienced all those emotions as he and his partner, Frederik Obermaier, reported on the Panama Papers. The documents, which an anonymous source emailed to Obermayer, contained personal financial information about wealthy individuals and public officials, and showed that they were using some shell corporations — incorporated via the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca — for illegal purposes, including tax fraud, tax evasion and evading international sanctions.

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Keynote Speaker: Lisa Osofsky

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Keynote Speaker: Lisa Osofsky

"Our lodestar must be the truth. At every stage and in crafting each investigative step, we must be guided by facts rather than theories or biases. Justice is done not only when we convict the guilty but when we exonerate the innocent," said Lisa Osofsky, Director of the U.K. Serious Fraud Office, in her acceptance speech for the Cressey Award at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference.

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Heard in the Halls: Continue the Path

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Heard in the Halls: Continue the Path

“I thought the general session was really encouraging and informative. Especially because as a fraud professional you feel alone sometimes. And being in that session reminded me that I was amongst my peers, and what I’m doing is right and sometimes we might not get the right outcome, but just to continue the path.” – Chrisoula Koutoulas, CFE, Director of Compliance, Kaiser Permanente

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Work with Human Behavior to Avoid Breaches and Cybercrime, Says Cybersecurity Expert

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Work with Human Behavior to Avoid Breaches and Cybercrime, Says Cybersecurity Expert

Organizations continue to operate under a cybercrime misconception about their customers, and it’s costing them a lot of money, said cybersecurity expert Theresa Payton, the Monday luncheon keynote speaker. “The conventional wisdom [in cybercrime and fraud] is that ‘humans are the weakest link … That’s why we have security problems.’ I want to change that conversation now.

“I used to feel that way when I was in the financial services industry,” she said. “I’d say, ‘I wish we could just train our customers on the little bit of what I know. My job would be safer and easier to do, and we’d all be happier.’ We’ve been talking this way for decades. We keep asking ourselves, ‘Why do people click on links? Why do people open attachments? … Why do people make these mistakes?’

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