Experts to Discuss Emerging Technology, Ethical Decision Making, Burnout and More at Canadian Anti-Fraud Conference

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Experts to Discuss Emerging Technology, Ethical Decision Making, Burnout and More at Canadian Anti-Fraud Conference

Hundreds of anti-fraud professionals will hear from director and CEO of FINTRAC Sarah Paquet, tech journalist Takara Small, Gold AE whistleblower Andre Gauthier and more at the virtual 2021 ACFE Fraud Conference Canada, November 7-10.

One of the speakers, Garth Sheriff, CPA, CA, CIA, will discuss the pivotal role psychological safety plays in preventing fraud in organizations. Sheriff, the founder of Sheriff Consulting, told the ACFE that employees need to have psychological safety in order to maintain an ethical culture. “Psychological safety is a shared belief that a team and organization are safe for interpersonal risk-taking,” Sheriff said. “There are numerous examples … in which pervasive low psychological safety within an organization can cause an individual's ethical decision-making system, or that provided by their profession, to retreat in fear.”

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Wirecard Whistleblower Encourages Governments to Create Independent Whistleblowing Bodies

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Wirecard Whistleblower Encourages Governments to Create Independent Whistleblowing Bodies

Pav Gill, a former Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance lawyer, is best known for being the whistleblower who exposed Wirecard — one of Europe's greatest financial scandals. He will join other whistleblowers and leaders in the anti-fraud field as a keynote speaker for the virtual 2021 ACFE Fraud Conference Asia-Pacific, 22-24 September.

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Advice From the C-Suite — “Stay Skeptical”

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Advice From the C-Suite — “Stay Skeptical”

Fraud examiners understand that investing in fraud prevention and deterrence, along with resources to help investigate fraud, is pivotal for organizations of any size. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, fraudsters pounced on new opportunities created by the changing economic and working environment. However, along with an increase in fraud, many anti-fraud professionals saw their organizations cutting back on budget during this time due to the shifting economy. If convincing their C-suite to invest in anti-fraud resources was difficult before, the pandemic likely made that task even more challenging.

So what trends and areas of concern are executive-level anti-fraud professionals seeing today? In the panel discussion, “The C-Suite's View on Fraud,” at the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, the participants offered a glimpse into their day-to-day lives as they balanced larger organizational business objectives during a time of international crisis while keeping an eye to the future for preventing fraud.

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Fraudster Video: Brett Johnson

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Fraudster Video: Brett Johnson

During the closing session of the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, John Gill, vice president - education at the ACFE, spoke with convicted fraudster* Brett Johnson, who shared stories from his life as a cybercriminal.

“You never have to face your victim,” he said, when asked why he was drawn to cybercrime in particular. “You can compartmentalize your online life. Online I do all this stuff, but in real life I am a good guy.”

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Empowering People to Question Is the First Line of Defense Against Fraud

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Empowering People to Question Is the First Line of Defense Against Fraud

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the federal government spent more than $586 billion on contracts in fiscal year 2019. With that much money floating around, it’s no surprise that fraudsters often target the contract awarding process. Vince Haecker, Ed.D., assistant special agent-in-charge in western region investigations for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Inspector General, explained to attendees at the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference how common fraud schemes occur in the contract process.

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New Cyber Risks in Financial Institutions Can Be Solved by Communication

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New Cyber Risks in Financial Institutions Can Be Solved by Communication

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many industries ground to a halt. In response, governments around the world approved unprecedented amounts of money to be sent to individual citizens and businesses to prop them up until they were able to reopen and go back to work. As funds were being transferred at break-neck speed, financial institutions were asked to help distribute and manage this money. At the same time, opportunistic fraudsters and cybercriminals pounced on the chaos.

In the panel session, “Emerging Fraud Risks and Trends in Financial Institutions,” at the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, anti-fraud leaders in some of the top banks around the world weighed in on how the pandemic affected the fraud that financial institutions saw and the best tactics to fight some of those risks.

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Keynote Speaker Video: Robert Herjavec

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Keynote Speaker Video: Robert Herjavec

In his Tuesday afternoon keynote address at the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Robert Herjavec, CEO of the cybersecurity firm Herjavec Group, explained to author and TV/radio host Amber Mac how the COVID-19 pandemic opened new doors for cyber criminals. "It's not that the attacks are bigger, or more complicated, it's that the attack surface is larger,” he said. "In the past, companies kept their data in a castle, which was their location, and they would protect it, and it was relatively easy to know where your people and your data was … it’s become easier to penetrate a corporate network.”

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