How the IRS Investigates and Combats Metaverse Fraud  

How the IRS Investigates and Combats Metaverse Fraud  

IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco, CFE, described the metaverse as “ripe for criminal activity” in his session at the 35th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. He explained that criminals exploit the anonymity, pseudonymous transactions and lack of regulation intrinsic in the metaverse’s makeup to engage in theft, investment fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and other schemes.  

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Discussing the Current Anti-Fraud Landscape

Discussing the Current Anti-Fraud Landscape

In the closing session of the 2023 ACFE Fraud Conference Europe, ACFE President and CEO Bruce Dorris led a discussion on the current fraud landscape, including considerations that fraud investigators and organizations alike should be mindful of when building effective anti-fraud controls.

Taking part in the panel session, sponsored by AuditBoard, was Marcin Nadolny, Head of EMEA Fraud, Fincrime and Data Science at SAS; Natina Thalien, CFE, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Arkema Group, author and public speaker; and Chrysti Ziegler, CFE, CIA, CRMA, Chief Audit Executive of CITGO Petroleum Corporation.

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"Thanks for the Nightmares!" A Deep Dive into Technology Crime

"Thanks for the Nightmares!" A Deep Dive into Technology Crime

In a session that had many virtual attendees joking about having nightmares tonight, going completely off the grid and hiding under blankets, Walt Manning, CEO of Techno-Crime Institute, told a story about darknet, cryptocurrency, encrypted messaging apps, burner phones, ransomware and more at the 33rd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference.

In his session, "You're in Charge: Are You Ready for a Techno-Crime Challenge," Manning discussed the above and offered this piece of advice: "This is not the fraud of the future - this is the fraud of right now. And if you're not prepared, you need to be prepared because it's already happening."

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Passwords Are Not Enough: Biometrics for Better Account Protection

Passwords Are Not Enough: Biometrics for Better Account Protection

Samantha Weeks, CFE, kicked off her session at the 33rd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference with a stark warning to fraud fighters. “If you have not already been greatly impacted by account takeover fraud in your organization, you should be very concerned that you haven’t seen it yet. because it is happening,” said Weeks, the fraud project manager for financial technology company Chime.

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Advice From the C-Suite — “Stay Skeptical”

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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Learning From the SolarWinds Cyberattack: Ways to Protect Your Organization Now

Learning From the SolarWinds Cyberattack: Ways to Protect Your Organization Now

Some cyberattacks are so groundbreaking that it takes some time before we can fully examine what happened and what we can learn from the incident. Such was the case with the SolarWinds cyberattack, which was the largest attack of its kind to date. In a virtual session during the 32nd Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Stephen Head, CFE, who specializes in information security, recounted the attack and outlined how organizations can take steps right now to build better protection.

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