Fraud Forward

What’s up, fraud fighters, and welcome back to Fraud Forward!In part one, you heard fraud fighters describe the current state of fraud with words like acceleration, chaos, fractured, and explosive. And honestly, none of those felt exaggerated. But in this episode, I wanted to ask a different question. Not just what fraud feels like right now, but what teams are doing that they are actually proud of.And that is where the conversation shifted.Instead of only hearing about pressure and burnout, I started hearing about collaboration, communication, empathy, innovation, and people who are trying to figure this out together in real time. That is what stood out to me most at Fraud Fight Club this year. Not just the tools. Not just the AI in fraud prevention conversations. Not even just the tactics. The people.This episode is really about the future of fraud operations. And if there is one thing that came through loud and clear, it is this: we cannot fight this alone anymore.What you’ll hear in this episode:Why fraud prevention in banking is becoming more collaborativeHow fraud and AML collaboration is helping teams see more of the full pictureWhy 314(b) information sharing matters in today’s fraud environmentHow fraud prevention strategy is shifting from reactive detection to proactive preventionWhy human-centered fraud prevention and empathy in fraud investigations still matterHow fraud prevention technology and fraud analytics are changing the way teams workWhat fraud prevention professionals are doing right now to build stronger networksYou should listen to this episode if:You work in banking fraud detection or fraud risk managementYou are trying to improve fraud decisioning inside your institutionYou care about real-time fraud prevention and operational responseYou want to understand where credit union fraud prevention is headingYou believe collaboration is no longer optional in fraud operationsIf you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and review the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps with getting the word out.

What’s up, fraud fighters, and welcome back to Fraud Forward!Before I was sitting in fraud strategy conversations, before I was talking about controls, governance, and layered defenses, before any of this, I was on the teller line. Face-to-face with members. Balancing speed, service, and that gut feeling when something just didn’t sit right. And I’m telling you right now, that experience shaped everything I understand about teller fraud prevention today.Because here’s the reality we don’t talk about enough. We’re building smarter systems. We’re investing in AI. We’re moving toward real-time monitoring and faster payments. And fraud is still scaling right alongside it. The latest IC3 report made that very clear. The numbers are growing. The losses are growing. And if we’re being honest, part of the problem is that we’re underestimating one of the most powerful fraud prevention tools we already have, our frontline.This episode is about resetting that perspective. It’s about recognizing that fraud isn’t just happening in data. It’s happening in behavior. In hesitation. In subtle shifts that no system can fully capture yet. And that is exactly where teller fraud prevention becomes critical.Here is what that frontline-first fraud prevention mindset means in practice:· Recognizing that behavioral signals are often the earliest fraud indicators· Treating frontline staff as active participants in fraud risk management· Bridging the gap between transaction data and real-world interaction· Building fraud prevention strategy around human insight, not just automationWhat you’ll hear in this episode:· Why teller fraud prevention is one of the most underutilized controls in banking· How frontline fraud detection captures signals that systems miss· A real-world scenario showing how behavioral fraud detection plays out· Why fraud prevention in banking must include human interaction layers· How financial institution fraud controls fail without frontline inputYou should listen to this episode if you:· Work in fraud risk management and want stronger frontline fraud detection· Are building a fraud prevention strategy in banking and need better alignment· Oversee teller teams or call centers and want to improve fraud awareness· Have seen fraud slip through despite strong systems and controls· Want to understand how human fraud detection signals impact real outcomesIf you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and review the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps with getting the word out.

What’s up, fraud fighters, and welcome back to Fraud Forward!In this episode, I’m sitting down with Angela Diaz to talk about something that sounds simple on the surface, but honestly, it creates more fraud gaps than a lot of teams realize. We throw around terms like controls, strategy, and process all the time in fraud operations. We say them like they mean the same thing. They do not. And when we start treating them like they are interchangeable, that is exactly where things begin to break down.This conversation came directly from Angela, and I loved that immediately because when a practitioner says, “we need to talk about this,” that usually means there is something real happening inside fraud programs right now. And this one is real. I have seen it. You have probably seen it too. Teams are busy, alerts are firing, processes are moving, and yet losses are still getting through. That is usually not because nobody cares. It is because the foundation is off.So this episode is really about getting back to basics in the best possible way. We slow down and separate fraud controls from fraud strategy and from fraud processes, because if we cannot define those correctly, we are going to build the rest of the fraud program on top of confusion. And once that happens, fraudsters do what they always do. They find the gap and they use it.What you’ll hear in this episode:The real difference between fraud controls, fraud strategy, and fraud processesWhy preventative vs detective controls matter more than most teams realizeHow process mapping in fraud helps expose operational fraud gapsWhy control performance monitoring needs to be part of every fraud risk management conversationWhat the Chase check fraud incident shows us about fraud loss prevention controlsHow fraud leaders can tell whether they have a true layered approach or just more stuffWhy fraud monitoring needs to connect back to strategy, not just activityWhere process gaps in banking show up in ATM fraud controls, payments risk controls, and check fraud control in bankingWhy vendor management fraud risk and lack of line of sight create another layer of exposureYou should listen to this episode if:You work in fraud operations and feel like your team is doing a lot but still not getting ahead of lossYou are trying to mature your fraud program and need clearer thinking around financial institution fraud controlsYou are working on a fraud risk assessment and need a better way to think about risk entry pointsYou know your team has processes in place, but you are not sure whether they are actually functioning like controlsYou want a more practical way to think about fraud control strategy in banking without making it overly complicatedSubscribe and stay connectedIf this episode makes you pause and rethink something in your own program, send it to your team. Really. Start the conversation. Pressure test the way controls, strategy, and process actually show up in your environment. And if you want more of these real conversations, make sure you are subscribed to Fraud Forward and signed up for the Monday Fraud Fix.

What’s up fraud fighters, and welcome to Fraud Forward!This episode picks right back up in one of the most important places this conversation could go: what happens after we move past the shiny AI headlines and start talking about control, governance, disputes, and real accountability inside financial services.Because that is the real conversation around agentic banking.Not just whether AI in banking is possible.Not just whether customers will use it.But whether banks are ready to govern it responsibly when AI agents in banking start influencing payments, authorization, disputes, and customer trust.What I really appreciated about this part of the conversation is that we did not stay at the hype layer. We got into what agentic payments actually require if institutions want to use them safely. We talked about AI governance in banking, AI transaction monitoring, banking compliance and AI, and what it means to preserve trust when AI banking transactions start happening closer to the customer.And that matters.Because if agentic banking is going to become part of the future of financial services AI, then we have to build it with intention. We have to build it with controls. And we have to make sure trust infrastructure in banking grows with the technology instead of getting left behind by it.What you’ll hear in this episodeHow agentic banking can solve real customer friction in ways traditional digital banking tools often cannotWhy AI agents in banking create new questions around governance, accountability, and controlHow AI payment authorization, OTP checks, and layered safeguards can help make AI banking transactions saferWhy banking compliance and AI need stronger context sharing, better auditability, and clearer ownershipHow AI transaction monitoring may need to evolve from reviewing transactions alone to reviewing prompts, instructions, and agent-led behaviorWhy banking dispute resolution becomes more complex when a customer authorizes an AI agent instead of initiating every action directlyHow community bank innovation and regional bank innovation can benefit from agentic banking without giving up controlYou should listen to this episode ifYou work in fraud, compliance, payments, risk, digital banking, or bank operations You are trying to understand how agentic banking may affect governance and customer trustYou are evaluating AI in banking beyond chatbot functionalityYou care about banking fraud prevention, AI fraud prevention, and safer banking with AIYou want a more practical conversation about how AI-powered banking actually works inside real institutionsYou are asking how banks can modernize customer experience without creating new gaps in controlIf you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and review the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

What is up fraud fighters, and welcome to Fraud Forward!This is one of those conversations every fraud, risk, payments, and operations leader should hear.We spend a lot of time talking about fraud losses, scam trends, and faster payments. What we do not always unpack is where the real breakdown happens in the payment journey. Does it start at onboarding? Does it show up in authentication? Is speed the issue? Is recovery the problem? Or are institutions still misreading what payment controls are actually designed to do?In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Caldwell from The Clearing House to unpack payments fraud prevention the way teams actually experience it in the real world:Before a payment startsDuring payment initiationAfter the funds are sentBecause once the money moves, everything changes.That is the core message of this episode. Payments fraud prevention is not only about the rail. It is about the full lifecycle.Kyle brings a practical perspective to one of the biggest myths in our space. Faster payments are not automatically the cause of more fraud. In many cases, the payment itself is just the final stage of a much earlier breakdown involving identity, compromise, or weak controls.If you work in community banking fraud prevention, credit union fraud prevention, or broader fraud operations strategy, this episode gives you a more useful way to think about risk, controls, and response in a real-time environment.What you’ll hear in this episodeWhy payments fraud prevention needs to begin long before the payment railHow institutions often confuse rail risk with customer compromiseWhere RTP fraud prevention differs from ACH fraud recovery and wire fraud recoveryWhich payment initiation fraud controls exist in real-time payments that many teams overlookHow indemnity and recovery work in the RTP environmentWhy real time decisioning matters more than relying on investigation after the factWhere firms are overbuilt on detection but underprepared on preventionWhy collaboration across institutions still mattersWhat fraud leaders should be planning for as payment lifecycle fraud evolves in 2026You should listen to this episode if youLead fraud, risk, payments, or operations at a financial institutionAre reviewing RTP fraud prevention or strengthening instant payments fraud controlsWant to improve fraud prevention before payment initiationNeed a better approach to post payment fraud recoveryAre building a stronger financial institution fraud strategyWant practical insight from The Clearing House perspectiveIf this episode gave you something useful, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another fraud fighter. It helps more people find the show and strengthens the community.

What is up fraud fighters and welcome to Fraud Forward.In this episode we sit down with Ted Josephson, VP of Bank Fraud and Credit Strategy at Synchrony Financial, to talk about what advanced fraud solutions leadership really looks like when fraud prevention moves beyond reacting to threats and becomes part of enterprise strategy.Ted’s path into the fraud space did not start in a fraud department. It started in banking operations working branches, call centers, and digital systems. That kind of experience shapes how leaders approach fraud prevention because they understand how financial institutions actually function day to day.And that perspective matters.Because strong fraud leadership is not just about stopping bad transactions. It is about building resilient teams, aligning fraud prevention with credit strategy leadership, and making strategic fraud decisions that protect both customers and institutions at scale.Throughout the conversation we explore how enterprise fraud teams evolve as institutions grow and why fraud leaders must shift from tactical problem solving to long term strategy.In this episode we discuss• How fraud leaders transition from investigators to strategic decision makers• Why enterprise fraud solutions require strong collaboration across fraud, credit, and risk teams• What changes when organizations scale fraud prevention across millions of accounts• Why the language fraud leaders use internally can shape executive decisions• How modern fraud threats require both advanced technology and human judgmentThis episode is for you if• You lead banking fraud prevention teams and want to strengthen your fraud leadership strategies• You work in credit risk, compliance, or financial crime teams navigating enterprise fraud decisions• You support credit union fraud prevention programs and want insights from large scale fraud organizations• You are building advanced fraud prevention programs and want to understand how leadership drives fraud prevention innovationFraud leadership today requires more than tools and alerts. It requires strategy, communication, and the ability to guide teams through uncertainty while fraud threats continue to evolve.If you enjoy the conversation, make sure to subscribe to Fraud Forward on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen.Stay vigilant, stay informed, and keep moving fraud forward.

“It’s always Day One” sounds like a startup cliché… until you hear it from someone who’s spent his career on the front lines of threat finance.In this episode of Fraud Forward, host Hailey Windham sits down with Ari Redbord (Global Head of Policy & Government Affairs at TRM Labs) to unpack how financial crime prevention is evolving as crypto, traditional finance, and AI-driven scams collide. Ari’s path spans federal prosecution in D.C., the U.S. Treasury, sanctions and terrorism financing, giving him a rare view of where policy, investigations, and technology actually meet.Hailey and Ari get real about what “public–private partnership” should mean in practice (spoiler: not more roundtables), and why real-time disruption networks are the model forward. They break down why “crypto crime” is a misleading label, how blockchain transparency changes investigations, and what TradFi still does better when it comes to governance and mature controls.They also dig into the operational reality teams are wrestling with right now: AI moving faster than regulation, scams scaling with generative tooling, and the risk of falling behind if fraud and compliance don’t learn how to harness new tech without losing human judgment.The core takeaway is simple: the threats are moving faster, across more rails, and complacency is the real risk, so the mindset has to stay Day One.Guest lineup:Ari Redbord: Global Head of Policy & Government Affairs at TRM LabsHailey Windham: Host of Fraud Forward and Community Banking Lead at Sardine

Agentic commerce sounds futuristic, until it starts hitting your auth flows, your dispute queues, and your monitoring pipelines.In this episode of Fraud Forward, host Hailey Windham sits down with Chen Zamir, Head of Fraud Strategy at Sardine and Founder of Native Risk, to unpack what happens when AI agents don’t just recommend, they act. They browse, click, checkout, retry, and optimize at machine speed, sometimes with no human in the loop.Hailey and Chen break down the two flavors of agentic commerce (API/MCP-based vs. in-browser agents), then get direct about the fraud pressure that follows any new payment-adjacent product. They dig into the first typologies likely to spike, why “secure protocols” won’t solve the real problems, and the OTP timing trap that makes step-up friction feel irrelevant when the customer is asleep, offline, or busy on purpose.They also cover the downstream damage teams aren’t modeling yet: rising abandonment, risk scores inflated by failed challenges, messier proof of intent, and a stack that struggles to separate agentic flows from everything else. The core takeaway is simple: fraud teams need to identify, route, and manage agent-driven transactions as a distinct channel before the ecosystem forces the issue.Guest lineup:Chen Zamir: Head of Fraud Strategy at Sardine, founder of NativeRiskHailey Windham: Host of Fraud Forward and Community Banking Lead at Sardine

Fraud isn’t slowing down, it’s evolving. The Banking on Fraudology podcast is now Fraud Forward, and we’re kicking off the new era with a no-nonsense look at what financial institutions are actually facing on the front lines.In this premiere episode, host Hailey Windham brings together fraud, risk, and BSA leaders from banks and credit unions to separate real signals from industry noise. No hype. No fear-mongering. Just firsthand insight from teams fighting fraud at machine speed.We unpack:What fraud teams saw escalate over the past yearWhich threats are accelerating into 2026Where banks and credit unions remain most exposedHow digital arrest scams, Ghost Tap fraud, and self-adapting AI attacks are changing the gameWhy in-branch controls are making a comebackIf you’re responsible for fraud prevention, BSA, risk, or compliance, this episode offers clear, realistic guidance on what to prioritize now, and what needs to change as fraud keeps moving faster.🎙 Guest lineup:Karen Boyer, SVP, Financial Crimes - M&T BankJen Lamont, BSA & Fraud Manager - America’s Credit UnionAngela Diaz, Senior Risk Manager, External Fraud Oversight - TDHailey Windham, Host of Fraud Forward & Community Banking Lead - Sardine👉 Subscribe for more real-world fraud insights from the people closest to the risk.

This is a legacy episode from Banking on Fraudology, originally published on December 12, 2025.In this episode of Fraud Forward (formerly Banking on Fraudology), Hailey Windham talks with Ben Graf, a self-taught AI expert in the neobank space. The conversation dives into what it really looks like to learn AI from the ground up, emphasizing that the future of fraud prevention isn't about replacing people, but empowering them through technology.

This is a legacy episode from Banking on Fraudology, originally published on December 3, 2025.In this episode of Fraud Forward (formerly Banking on Fraudology), Hailey Windham welcomes back Ian Mitchell, founder of The Knoble, to delve into the organization's critical mission, its global impact, and the urgent need for community support.The conversation centers on the concept of "human crimes," a focus area for The Knoble, which includes human trafficking, child exploitation (especially online exploitation of children), scams, and elder financial exploitation. Banks are in a powerful position to detect and disrupt these financially motivated crimes proactively.Ian's message to fraud fighters and leaders is to "live with heart" and to remember that they are in the people business. He encourages listeners to get involved in The Knoble's free network and consider sending a team member to the Human Crime Specialist Program.

Banking on Fraudology is presented by Sardine.ai.In this episode of Banking on Fraudology, Hailey Windham sits down with Ravi Loganathan, Co-founder and President of Sonar AI and Head of Banking and Policy at Sardine. Ravi, who has over 20 years in banking and consortium work with institutions like Early Warning Services, Zelle, and Bank of America, has been leading the charge at Sardine to make intelligent sharing accessible and actionable for all institutions.The conversation dives deep into the concept of collective intelligence, which Ravi describes as a "must-have" in the age of accelerating AI-driven scams. Fraudsters exploit information sharing gaps by jumping from one institution (like a fintech) to another (like a large regulated bank), making an ecosystem-wide defense essential.Key Takeaways: Unlocking Collective Intelligence with Sonar AIThe Sonar AI Origin Story: Sonar AI was kickstarted three years ago by a group of banks and fintechs to fill a critical gap: the lack of infrastructure for real-time risk information sharing when funds movement or instant settlement is authorized. This was driven by the need to combat authorized push payment (APP) fraud, particularly concerning the lack of insights on the recipient.How Sonar AI Works: Sonar AI is an industry utility. Before an institution authorizes a fund movement or account opening, they can inquire into Sonar on the entity conducting the transaction. Sonar returns curated signals (often simplified to "high, medium, low" risk, block list status, etc.) for the institution to augment their existing risk decisioning process. In return, the institution provides feedback, benefiting the next inquiring member.Regulatory Foundation: Sonar AI is built on a strong regulatory framework, having worked with FinCEN to receive 314(b) designation to form an association of financial institutions. It also facilitates broader fraud signal sharing under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).Empowering Smaller FIs: Sonar AI offers features specifically for smaller community banks and credit unions, including batch contribution and batch inquiry to eliminate the need for immediate API tech builds. Ravi details their collaboration with the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) accelerator program to embed Sardine's solutions into core providers and invite FIs to join Sonar as members.Future Innovations: Ravi reveals Sonar AI's newest services, including Footprint, which provides a broader view of a consumer's financial standing by tracking their transactions across crypto exchanges, marketplaces, and fintechs , and the expansion of the Red Flag service for monitoring credentials leaked on the dark web.This is a must-listen for investigators, executives, and anyone working in the financial crimes space who is serious about strengthening prevention efforts and is ready to embrace the future of shared, collective defense.About Hailey Windham:As a 2023 CU Rockstar Recipient, Hailey Windham, CFCS (Certified Financial Crimes Specialist) demonstrated unbounding passion for educating her community, organization and credit union membership on scams in the market and best practices to avoid them. She has implemented several programs within her previous organizations that aim at holistically learning about how to prevent and detect fraud targeted at membership and employees. Windham’s initiatives to build strong relationships and partnerships throughout the credit union community and industry experts have led to countless success stories. Her applied knowledge of payments system programs combined with her experience in fraud investigations offers practical concepts that are transferable, no matter the organization’s size. Connect with Hailey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-windham/

In this powerful episode of Banking on Fraudology, Hailey Windham sits down with John Duffley, Communications Director at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), who leads the global coordination and growth of International Fraud Awareness Week.The conversation dives deep into the origins of this massive global initiative, which began in 2000 as "National Fraud Awareness Week" and has since evolved to be celebrated by thousands of organizations across more than 130 countries, supporting a community of over 95,000 fraud professionals.Key Takeaways: International Fraud Awareness WeekA Global Springboard: Fraud Week is an annual opportunity for organizations of all sizes—from local law firms to Fortune 500 companies—to discuss and address fraud prevention and detection efforts, serving as a launchpad for success in the coming year.Creative Campaign Ideas: Organizations participate in countless impactful ways, including multi-week campaigns, virtual trainings, community events, social media efforts, and internal recognition (like Hailey's personal "Scooby Doo Awards"!).Tips for Smaller Teams: John and Hailey share simple, budget-friendly ways smaller financial institutions (FIs) like credit unions and community banks can participate, emphasizing conversation, awareness, social media engagement, and internal recognition. Hailey shares a successful, low-cost fraud roundtable example.Essential ACFE Resources: Get a rundown of the free resources available on fraudweek.com, including proclamation and press release templates, interactive games like "Geo Party" and "Fraud Myth Busters," videos, infographics, and a simple Fraud Prevention Checklist.Building a Fraud-Savvy Culture: Learn how Fraud Week can initiate long-term cultural change, the importance of gaining leadership buy-in by reaffirming brand trust, and the proven ROI of awareness training (tips are the most common detection method, accounting for 43% of frauds).John's Top Tip for Every Fraud Fighter: Start a conversation with someone close to you—a colleague, supervisor, or family member—because awareness begins with simply sharing what you know to protect those most vulnerable to scams.This is a must-listen for investigators, executives, and anyone working in the financial crimes space who is serious about strengthening prevention efforts and building a global fraud-fighting community.Don't forget to use #FraudWeek when sharing your organization's efforts!Links:Connect with the global fraud-fighting community and download your free resources: fraudweek.comacfe.com/