Self-proclaimed “Chief Loophole Officer” Andrew Fastow to Speak in Singapore

GUEST BLOGGER

Sarah Hofmann
ACFE Public Relations Specialist

More than 250 anti-fraud professionals from around the Asia-Pacific region will gather for the 2015 ACFE Asia-Pacific Fraud Conference at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, 4-6 November, to listen to leaders in the anti-fraud field, along with an unlikely special guest: a convicted fraudster.

Playing a central part in one of the most notorious corporate fraud cases in history, Andrew Fastow*, former CFO of Enron Corp., will address the very people trying to catch fraudsters like him. Fastow will explain his role the energy giant’s collapse, which resulted in a $40 billion lawsuit and the world’s largest bankruptcy at that point. He will give attendees insight into the red flags that were ignored at Enron, and how his life was affected after being convicted.

Attendees will also hear from keynote speakers including:

• James D. Ratley, CFE, ACFE President and CEO, U.S.
  In 1971, Ratley joined the Dallas Police Department as a police officer. He was a member of numerous department task forces that concentrated on major fraud cases. In 1986, Ratley left the police department to join Wells & Associates, where he was in charge of fraud investigations. Ratley has been selected as one of Security magazine's "Most Influential Security Executives for 2010" and Accounting Today's "Top 100 Most Influential People."
• Barry Wong, Vice President, Head of Asia-Pacific, Customer Fraud Management, MasterCard Worldwide, Hong Kong
  Wong is responsible for spearheading the coordinated deployment of anti-fraud solutions to help MasterCard customer financial institutions manage fraud risks and enhance their fraud mitigation controls. He works closely with law enforcement agencies to combat payment card crime as well as with government institutions to provide support for legislation and fraud strategies against card fraud and data protection.
• Christophe Durand, Head of Cyber Strategy, Interpol, Singapore
  Durand is a Police Senior Superintendent, seconded from the French Judicial Police to INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), Singapore. Durand is the organization’s central point of contact for cyber strategy. He has accumulated more than 20 years of experience at the confluence of organised crime especially through financial approach (money laundering, international fraud) and IT issues (digital forensics, cybercrime). 
• Gunawan Husin, MBCI, CBCP, CAMS, Principal Consultant, Continuum Asia PTE LTD, Singapore
  Husin has more than 21 years of international experience in banking with a main focus on disaster recovery, crisis management, corporate security and financial crime compliance (anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism). Prior to his current role, he led the risk control and oversight of global security and investigations, global resiliency and crisis management for JPMorgan Chase Bank in the Asia-Pacific region.

Breakout sessions will include discussions about money laundering, the FIFA scandal and how to use advanced analytics to catch fraud before it is able to grow.

Special pricing for early registration is available until October 2, 2015. Visit ACFE.com/AsiaPac for more information.

*The ACFE does not compensate convicted fraudsters.

Knowing What Works: ACFE Asia-Pacific Conference Heads to Singapore

AUTHOR’S POST

Mandy Moody, CFE
ACFE Social Media Specialist

Almost half of the executives interviewed in Ernst & Young’s latest Asia-Pacific Fraud Survey Report said that their companies’ policies do not work. As stated in The Law Society’s Gazette in the article, “Fraud and corruption rife in Asia-Pacific,” 19 percent reported an increase in bribery and corruption, and 27 percent said managers take short cuts to meet targets. These numbers aren’t surprising, as I usually say, but they are loud reminders that companies must continue to implement what does work and look for ways to improve existing policies.

Fraud fighters from all over the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Singapore, Nov. 20-22 at the 2013 ACFE Asia-Pacific Fraud Conference to address these statistics, the latest trends and the ways top professionals are combating fraud.

Here are just a few of the keynotes that will be reporting on what does work for companies in the region:

Nagesh Pinge, Chief Internal Auditor, Tata Motors, India

In a career spanning 29 years, Pinge has worked with many organizations of repute such as ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries Ltd, Deutsche Bank of Germany and JSW Group. Pinge's major tenure has been with ICICI Bank for 14 years where he managed a team of 100+ internal auditors located worldwide.

John Geurts, Executive General Manager, Group Security & Group Property, Commonwealth Bank, Australia

Geurts has more than 13 years’ experience as a global security leader in the banking sector, combined with 19 years in law enforcement with the Australian Federal Police. In his current role at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Geurts leads Group Security in investigations, fraud control, financial crime and anti-money laundering shared services.

Jeffrey Robinson, Author, Lecturer and Journalist, U.S./UK

Robinson is the bestselling author of 27 books, and a popular speaker on the international after-dinner circuit. His money laundering tour de force, The Laundrymen (1993), was a headline-maker in 14 countries, establishing him as a recognized expert on organized crime, fraud and money laundering.

D. Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA, CVA, VP and Program Director, ACFE, U.S.

Dorris is an advisory member of the ACFE Board of Regents. As an Assistant District Attorney for the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office in Shreveport, La., Dorris created and was the Director of its Financial Crimes Screening Section. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of the National White Collar Crime Center, and was the Vice Chairman of its Audit Committee.

Read more about the Conference at ACFE.com/AsiaPac, and register by Oct. 21 to get the early registration discount!

Advice From a CFE: Find a Mentor, Stay Educated

MEMBER PROFILE

Ng Siew Kwan, CFE, CIA
Senior Manager, Corporate Investigations Group for Dow Chemical in Singapore  

Born and raised in Singapore, Ng Siew Kwan, CFE, CIA, came to the U.S. for an education in finance, beginning a path that would lead him to a career in fraud examination. He currently serves as Senior Manager, Corporate Investigations Group for Dow Chemical in Singapore, where he investigates fraud in the Asia-Pacific region and India including asset misappropriation, corruption schemes, theft of intellectual property and other issues.

Did you always plan to pursue a career in fraud examination? 

No, in fact my interest in fraud examination took flight when I was an internal auditor. I was always curious to follow up on some of the audit findings that were passed on to the Corporate Investigation Group for further investigations. I was fortunate that after six years with internal audit there was an opportunity for me to join the Corporate Investigations Group.

How did you become passionate about fighting fraud? 

I realize the importance of proper corporate governance and fighting fraud after seeing the effects and consequences of the collapse of Enron and WorldCom.

What is a memorable case or project that you have worked on?

I do not have a specific memorable case or project to share because all the cases thus far have been unique and different in terms of culture, circumstances and the individual involved. But what has been truly been indelible in following this career track has been working in remote locations in some of the most developmentally challenged countries in [the] Asia-Pacific [region]. Gathering and coaxing information from strangers, investigating timelines, potential fraudulent events and piecing together a fraud jigsaw puzzle have been the highlights of my experiences thus far.

Do you have a personal motto? 

My motto is "Ethics is how you practice it when there is no specific policy or when nobody’s looking."

What career advice do you have for those just starting out in the fraud-fighting field? 

Identify a good mentor. Most fraud-fighting skills are honed and culled from broad exposure and experiences. It is important that young fraud-fighting professionals attach themselves to an experienced investigator. Keeping abreast of the technology available is imperative. One also needs to keep being educated in the "what," "how" and "why" in which fraud is being committed. Being one or many steps ahead is always a powerful tool to arm oneself with to fight the ever-growing sophistication of fraudsters everywhere.

What activities or hobbies do you like to do outside of work? 

Online gaming and skiing.

Read more ACFE member profiles in the Career Center on ACFE.com.

Greetings from Sunny Singapore

GUEST BLOGGER

Dewi Malik

Business Support Manager

ACFE Asia Pacific Regional Service Centre

Combatting fraud has no geographical boundaries. That is why the nature of fraud in global business today calls for an international presence. With the opening of the new Asia-Pacific office in Singapore we wish to strengthen our presence throughout this area and beyond. We also want to greatly improve support for our ACFE members in the region.

My colleagues and I are extremely excited to be a part of this huge step towards fulfilling ACFE's No. 3 New Year's Resolution-Expand International Growth Efforts to New Regions. This move to set up an ACFE office in the hub of Singapore truly represents the astounding membership growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

The ACFE Asia-Pacific office offers timely language-specific support to new, existing and potential members in this culturally diverse region. Whether you are from Korea, Japan, Australia or China, my colleagues and I are here to answer any queries or give feedback relating to the ACFE's membership, conferences, programmes and services. In addition to English, we have support staff members well-versed in Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to join the global ACFE family. I hope to be able to meet you and colleagues from around the world at the upcoming 2012 ACFE Asia-Pacific Fraud Conferencein Hong Kong, 4-6 November 2012.

We welcome your queries and feedback. Please contact us at +65 6496 5503 or AsiaPacific@ACFE.com. I certainly hope to speak with you soon.

The Passion of a Fraud Fighter

GUEST BLOGGER

John Gill, J.D., CFE
ACFE Vice President of Education

Last week, Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA and ACFE Program Director, and I had the great pleasure of flying to Singapore to teach the first CFE Exam Review Course outside the U.S. Although Bruce and I have taught the U.S. version of the course many times, this was the first time we taught the international version for the public.

The reception we received could not have been warmer. Everyone in the class was so nice, and they were so excited that we held the first international class in the Asia-Pacific region. We met people from Singapore, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and even Kenya! It was really exciting to have such an international crowd.

As I mentioned, I teach about a dozen classes in the U.S. each year, and I travel from Las Vegas to New York City to Los Angeles to teach the Review Course. What struck me the most last week was not how much the Singapore class was different from the courses I teach in the States, but how much it was exactly the same. It really hit home to me that ACFE members have a strong bond that knows no borders. It doesn’t matter where we are located, how much experience we have or even what industry we work in. We all share the same passion: to understand how fraud is committed and do everything we can to find those responsible. The dedication to fighting fraud I saw in each person was very inspiring.

I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to meet them (even though it took me 25 hours to get there!) and I am proud to be a part of such a truly global association.

Pictured: Krishnamah Sanmugam just after she found out she passed the first part of the CFE Exam. View more photos from the event on our Facebook page.