Protecting the Aging Population From Fraud

Protecting the Aging Population From Fraud

It’s no secret that fraudsters have few, if any, scruples. They are willing to lie to, swindle and cheat anyone who can give them money. As much as we would like to think that certain segments of society should be considered “off-limits” to bad actors, the opposite is normally true. No situation makes this quite as clear as the multitude of scams that target the aging population.

In her session, “Protecting the Aging and Vulnerable Population from Fraud in Uncertain Times,” at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Nadia Wright, CFE, taught attendees about a number of the fraud schemes that target the aging. Wright, senior fraud investigator for LPL Financial, said most scams fall into one of two categories: the long game or the quick hit.

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Keynote Speaker Video: Matthew Caruana Galizia

Keynote Speaker Video: Matthew Caruana Galizia

"If my mother's memory and legacy are destroyed, the criminal and corrupt that she investigated, and who are responsible for her assassination, will have triumphed. And the universal values that my mother worked so hard to defend will have failed,” Matthew Caruana Galizia told attendees at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. Matthew accepted the posthumous 2020 Guardian Award on behalf of his mother, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered in a car bombing in Malta in 2017.

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Keynote Speakers Video: Javier Pena and Stephen Murphy

Keynote Speakers Video: Javier Pena and Stephen Murphy

Retired DEA agents Javier Pena and Stephen Murphy took attendees at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference through the wild story of how they tracked infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar for six years before capturing and killing him. Escobar was known for his extreme violence and immense wealth while he ran the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia.

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Keynote Speaker Video: Nicholas Thompson

Keynote Speaker Video: Nicholas Thompson

"When new people come in because there's change, it's sometimes harder to spot anomalous behaviors,” said the editor in chief of WIRED Nicholas Thompson in his Tuesday morning keynote address at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. “Of course spotting anomalous behaviors is how a lot of fraud detection works. You know the patterns of what we do, you look for things that don't quite fit those patterns and you identify that as fraud."

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Thou Shalt Not Steal: How Religious Groups Can Fall Victim to Fraud

Thou Shalt Not Steal: How Religious Groups Can Fall Victim to Fraud

According to the Pew Research Center, 84% of people around the world affiliate themselves with a religious organization. With such a large majority of people connected to religion, churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious centers are seen as pillars of the community. They are often involved charitable works such as distributing food and supplies for the needy or providing moral counsel for congregants. In the U.S., religious institutions are classified as tax-exempt and viewed as public charities; they are technically nonprofits for tax purposes.

However, even groups that purport to do good works and are supposed to be run by people of unblemished character can fall victim to fraud. In his session “Fleecing the Flock: Reducing the Risk of Fraud at Religious and Community Organizations,” at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Rollie Dimos, CFE, told attendees that unfortunately organizations like churches can provide fertile ground for fraudsters. Dimos, the director of internal audit for the Assemblies of God National Office said, “[Fraud happens] even in these organizations with high morals, high ethics, high integrity.”

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Keynote Speakers Video: Whistleblowing Panel

Keynote Speakers Video: Whistleblowing Panel

Rebecca Jarvis, host of "The Dropout" podcast and a chief correspondent for ABC News, led a panel on whistleblowing Monday at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. She was joined by Stephen Kohn, Partner at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP, Tom Mueller, New York Times best-selling author of "Crisis of Conscience," and Jane Norberg, Chief of the Office of the Whistleblower for the U.S. SEC.

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ACFE Regent Chair Video: Bethmara Kessler, CFE

ACFE Regent Chair Video: Bethmara Kessler, CFE

"One of the hardest things to learn as a leader is to recognize that there are lessons you haven't learned yet and that there are places where you can do better. We must do better. And we must continue to listen, learn and grow,” said Bethmara Kessler, CFE.

Kessler, the Chair of the ACFE Board of Regents, spoke to attendees at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference on Monday morning and talked about the role of the Regents.

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