Upping Your Tech Game in Times of Extraordinary Change

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Upping Your Tech Game in Times of Extraordinary Change

In the session titled “Upping Your Tech Game in Times of Extraordinary Change” at the 2021 ACFE Women’s Summit, attendees heard from four tech experts in the anti-fraud field. As the conversation began, a few of the panelists commented on how rare (and delightful) it was to be on a tech panel with all women. However, it didn’t take long for them to dig in and demonstrate why they are each considered experts in their respective fields.

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Turning Your Bad Habits Into Superpowers

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Turning Your Bad Habits Into Superpowers

In an inspiring and humor-filled session at the first-ever ACFE Women’s Summit, the ACFE’s Director of Research, Andi McNeal, CFE, CPA, and Communications Manager, Mandy Moody, CFE, invited attendees to hold a mirror up to ourselves and examine some habits that we may consider to be professional defects, in order for us to reframe these habits as sources of power.

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Cybersecurity Journalist says SolarWinds Hack is a “Harbinger” of Threats to Come

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Cybersecurity Journalist says SolarWinds Hack is a “Harbinger” of Threats to Come

Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author Misha Glenny says that ransomware should be the top concern of European organizations — and that they’re not prepared. “Over the past year, we have seen a ramping up of the strategy among some of the top Russian ransomware groups. Instead of just locking up your data, leaving you to bang your head against a brick wall, some groups are now carrying out their threat to exfiltrate your data and post it for all your competitors to peruse,” he told the ACFE. “The darkest moment in cybersecurity over the last year was the discovery of the SolarWinds hack … This is a harbinger of the security issues in the era of the Internet of Things and machine-to-machine learning.” Glenny, who’s groundbreaking exposé, McMafia, has been adapted into a major BBC television series, will be speaking at the virtual 2021 ACFE Fraud Conference Europe, 11-12 March.

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Digital Innovation Expert Asks Fraud Fighters to Plan for the Next 50 Years of Technological Advancements

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Digital Innovation Expert Asks Fraud Fighters to Plan for the Next 50 Years of Technological Advancements

At the 2020 ACFE Fraud Conference Canada last week, Alex Benay, the Former Chief Information Officer of Canada and a Digital Innovation Expert and Partner at Digital Solutions, KMPG, had attendees engage in a thought experiment to imagine the world 50 years from now. According to Benay’s hypothesis, this kind of thinking is necessary for countries and businesses to reimagine themselves in our rapidly changing digital age.

To understand the scale of change we could witness in the future, Benay began by analyzing the past. Benay noted the dramatic shift in the economic production model that we’ve witnessed within the past 50 years. To illustrate this claim, he offered a list of firsts:

  • 50 years ago: the invention of the first 16-bit mini computer

  • 40 years ago: the first cassette player, making portable music a reality

  • 30 years ago: the first case of genetic engineering in humans

  • 20 years ago: the first Blackberry

  • 10 years ago: the first all-electric car

  • 5 years ago: the first bionic eye

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WADA Founder, Former CIO of Canada, Money Laundering Expert and More to Speak at Canadian Anti-Fraud Conference

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WADA Founder, Former CIO of Canada, Money Laundering Expert and More to Speak at Canadian Anti-Fraud Conference

The founder and former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Dick Pound, has spent decades battling corruption and bribery within the International Olympic Committee. His experiences have made him passionate about rooting out any type of fraud, and he believes there are similarities between the high-stakes world of the Olympics and the international business world. “The win-at-all-costs syndrome produces the same kind of conduct in both scenarios,” he told the ACFE. “When things go international, the clash of cultures can exacerbate opportunities and expectations regarding corruption. International aspects make detection and enforcement more difficult.”

Pound will address more than 200 anti-fraud professionals at the virtual 2020 ACFE Fraud Conference Canada, November 1-4. He will share his stories of fighting bribery relating to cities bidding to host the Olympics, corruption in judging sports and pressure on athletes to dope.

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Insider Tips for Creating Memorable Ethics and Compliance Training

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Insider Tips for Creating Memorable Ethics and Compliance Training

In a recent virtual session at the ACFE Fraud Conference Asia-Pacific, Rupert Evill sought to dispel the stigma and disdain surrounding ethics and compliance departments by teasing out the reasons for this stigma and providing attendees with insider tips to make compliance and ethics trainings memorable and effective. As the founder of EthicsInsight, Evill described his work by saying, “EthicsInsight is trying to simplify the way risk is assessed and benchmarked from a controls perspective so then you can really focus on managing the cultural change aspect.”

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