A New Threat That Preys on Parents' Fears

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A New Threat That Preys on Parents' Fears

A new type of scam preys on parents’ protective nature toward their children in order to coax them into wiring high ransoms. To do this, scammers make a phone call claiming they’ve taken a victim’s child, and they threaten to harm the child unless parents pay ransoms ranging from $5,000 to $6,000. In each reported case so far, there was actually no abduction. The child was discovered to be safe, often just at school or out with friends, but usually only after the parent had already paid the ransom.

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The Uncertainties and Certainties of Pursuing a Career in the Anti-Fraud Profession

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The Uncertainties and Certainties of Pursuing a Career in the Anti-Fraud Profession

If I hadn’t pursued my passion for the anti-fraud industry, I might have been lost in the uncertainties of life, or at least I wouldn’t have learned to embrace the uncertainties in the early stage of my career.

Growing up, I was a kid who loved to plan ahead and avoid risks as much as possible. My senior year I decided to pursue my second greatest career passion — becoming a university professor — and get a Ph.D. in accounting. This path seemed more predictable compared to a path of pursuing my greatest career passion, which was to become a fraud investigator. My so-called “safe” plan fell part in spring 2016 when I got rejected from all 12 doctorate accounting programs I had applied for.

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The Future of Fraud Risk Management and the Use of Robotics

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The Future of Fraud Risk Management and the Use of Robotics

A recent Reuters article about the “expense report of the future” included a discussion about the future of fraud risk management and the use of robotics. Though not a new discussion, this article highlighted the most common uses of the technology without using the trendy approach of claiming robots are taking over.

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Elizabeth Holmes: The Next Steve Jobs or Bernie Madoff?

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Elizabeth Holmes: The Next Steve Jobs or Bernie Madoff?

Much has been written and recorded about Elizabeth Holmes and her biotech start-up Theranos, once valued at more than $10 billion. ABC Radio recently released a six-episode podcast titled “The Dropout” that chronicles the rise and fall of the figure who critics have come to call the 21st century’s Bernie Madoff, and dedicated followers of the years-long fraud scandal will recall the original Wall Street Journal reports by John Carreyrou that drew national attention to the fraud when they were released starting in 2015. Carreyrou subsequently published the impeccably-researched Bad Blood, a critically-revered book that chronicles the intricacies of the scandalizing saga. For those who prefer the filmic format of delivery, HBO put out a gripping documentary that provides all the requisite information in a mere two hours, a minuscule time investment in comparison to the decades-long fraud for which Holmes continues to face legal battles.

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Brilliance v. Ethics – Which One Wins?

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Brilliance v. Ethics – Which One Wins?

A federal judge asked Donald Watkins, Sr. to step away from the jury box as Watkins, Sr. made an impassioned plea in his closing argument. Watkins, Sr. was in the personal space of front-row jurors, who were clearly agitated and restless as they leaned, twisted back and forth and from side to side to move away from the attorney. Watkins, Sr. was pointing his finger at the jurors and leaning directly into them.

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