Join Thomas Taraniuk in hosting leading minds from the world of AI, fintech, crypto, iGaming, and more. This podcast dives deep into the most pressing issues surrounding digital fraud in business. Each episode dissects key fraud-related issues that companies—both big and small—face today. From deepfakes and identity theft to money mules and forced verification, What The Fraud? is where digital fraudsters meet their match.
This is THE podcast for comprehensive, actionable, and up-to-date information on fraud. Listen in to reveal what you can do to protect yourself and your business.
Don't want to miss an episode? Follow the show now.
CREDITS
From Sumsub and This Is Distorted
Presented by Thomas Taraniuk, Sumsub
Produced by Faye Lyons-White, This Is Distorted
Editor - Dave Reilly, This Is Distorted
Executive Producer - Alex Jungius, This Is Distorted
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
“What does it really take to move digital assets from hype to institutional infrastructure?” At Consensus Miami 2026, one theme stood out clearly: digital finance is moving from experimentation to infrastructure. Institutions are no longer just exploring blockchain… they are actively rebuilding how money is moved, secured, and governed. In part 2 of this special episode of What the Fraud? , Anastasia Shvechkova, Sales Director Americas at Sumsub, sits down for conversations with leaders from acr...
In Part 1 of our What the Fraud? special from Consensus Miami 2026, we explore how crypto is moving beyond early adoption and into mainstream finance. From regulation and compliance to payments and user growth, the conversation focuses on what it takes to scale digital assets safely in the real world. Direct from the Sumsub booth at Consensus Miami, Anastasia Shvechkova, Sales Director Americas at Sumsub, speaks with experts from across the ecosystem about the challenges shaping the next phase o...
“What happens when the world’s biggest sporting event becomes the perfect environment for fraud to scale?” World Cup Betting KYC: https://sumsub.link/21f The World Cup isn’t just a global celebration of football, it’s one of the largest betting events on the planet. And where volume, velocity, and global participation collide, fraud doesn’t just appear… it accelerates. Our guest this week is Ludovico Calvi, Honorary President of ULIS, United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports. With decades of exp...
“What happens when the fraudster isn’t a stranger… but your own customer?” Fraud Prevention Course: https://sumsub.link/2qi Businesses spend millions verifying identities, onboarding users, and preventing external attacks. But one of the fastest-growing threats now comes from inside the perimeter: legitimate customers exploiting refunds, disputes, chargebacks, subscriptions, and reimbursement systems for personal gain. Our special guest this week is Richard Bromley, Head of Fraud and Disputes Ri...
“Fraud is no longer about convincing a human… it’s about feeding a system.” Fraud is evolving fast. No longer limited to fake documents or stolen identities, today’s attackers are targeting the very infrastructure designed to stop them, exploiting workflows, reverse engineering systems, and operating at machine speed. In this episode, we explore how fraud has shifted from human deception to system manipulation, and why traditional defences are struggling to keep up. Our special guest this week i...
"What happens when an attacker gains control of your AI agent and the outside world believes everything it does... is you?" AI agents are already booking travel, managing calendars, and handling day-to-day tasks for millions of people. But as they gain access to our accounts, finances, and personal data, a new question emerges: how do you tell a legitimate agent from a hijacked one? Our guest this week is Mick Amelishko, AI advocate and Senior Engineering Manager at Sumsub, who lives at the inte...
“What happens when a fraudster doesn’t steal an identity… but builds one from scratch?” Synthetic identities are one of the fastest-growing threats in financial crime. Built from fragments of real and fabricated data, these identities can pass onboarding checks, behave like legitimate users for months or even years, and then suddenly “bust out”, leaving businesses with significant losses. Our special guest this week is Steve Lenderman. Drawing on decades of experience investigating fraud, Steve ...
Fraud in iGaming is shaping how operators grow, how regulators respond, and where investors place bets. Recorded live at ICE Barcelona in partnership with the C-Suite Podcast, this is Part 2 of our special What The Fraud? series on the widening global fraud landscape in iGaming. Kris Galloway, iGaming Product Evangelist at Sumsub, took over hosting duties and he was joined by: Daniel Xavier, COO, BetMGM Brazil Andrew Wright, Managing Director UK & Ireland, LeoVegas Group Adrianna Samuels...
Unlicensed operators and AI-enabled fraud are scaling faster than most safeguards. Regulators, operators, and tech providers are being forced to rethink what “player protection” actually means, and how to enforce it across borders. This is Part 1 of 2 special episodes of the What The Fraud? podcast, recorded live at ICE Barcelona. Guest host Kris Galloway, iGaming Product Evangelist speaks with Olabimpe Akingba, Head of Responsible Gaming at pawaTech, Ludovico Calvi, Honorary Presidentof United ...
Former fraudster Alex Wood, now a counter-fraud expert, reveals how sophisticated criminals use AI and deepfakes to execute fewer but more devastating attacks. He shares insights from his past in prison, explaining how it fostered criminal networks, and details his current work advising governments and banks. Alex emphasizes the urgent need for cross-border collaboration and removing the stigma around fraud victims to combat evolving threats, including the potential impact of quantum computing.
"Last year, only one in 10 fraud attempts were sophisticated enough to fool modern verification systems. This year, that number's nearly tripled. Amateur fraudsters are out and professionals who know exactly how to beat our defences are in." The fraud landscape is undergoing a complete transformation. Whilst overall fraud attempts have dropped by 50%, the attacks that do occur are nearly three times more sophisticated than last year. We're witnessing the rise of coordinated, AI-powered professio...
The fraudsters have already figured out what most financial institutions haven't yet: silos don't work. While your fraud team, cyber team and compliance team operate independently with separate tools and data, criminals are exploiting the gaps between them at an industrial scale. This is part two of two special episodes recorded live at the WTF? Summit in Singapore. Host Thomas Taraniuk sits down with T Raja Kumar, former president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Holly Fang from the S...
The financial crime battlefield is shifting. What used to be separate fights against fraud and money laundering has merged into one coordinated attack on the global financial system. As scammers drain accounts and launder proceeds through mule networks faster than banks can respond, APAC is becoming ground zero for a new kind of financial warfare. Recorded live at the WTF? Summit in Singapore, this is part one of two special episodes bringing together frontline defenders. Host Thomas Taraniuk si...
"Fraud is a lot more popular today than it was 10 years ago simply because today you can advertise fraud on TikTok, Snapchat, whatever platform, and you can just have tutorials on how to gamify anything you want at your doorstep." We think of fraudsters as criminals behind laptops, draining accounts without conscience. But what about that free lunch you claimed on your delivery app or the refund you knew wasn't deserved? Could you be part of the problem too? As the on-demand delivery industry ex...
Fraud got faster. Your strategy has to be smarter. So what do leaders who rethink risk do to stay ahead? For part two of this special episode of What the Fraud?, Sumsub’s Sales Director, Americas, Anastasia Shvechkova, sits down with five operators who are scaling trust without slowing growth. Recorded live at Money20/20 USA, this episode brings insight from leaders at Standard Chartered, Ebanx, ACAMS, Adyen, and Nubank. We dive into the modernization of dollar infrastructure, tackling fraud in ...
Fast payments raise hard trust questions. Live from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, we sat down with leaders reshaping fraud, AML, and compliance, turning the AI hype into an operational reality. For this special episode of What the Fraud? , Sumsub’s Sales Director, Americas, Anastasia Shvechkova, steps in as host to pull highlights from the show floor, in partnership with the C-Suite podcast team. This special episode brings together leading voices from Gusto, Bluevine, MoneyGram, and Worldpay for...
“When I get in my car every day to go somewhere, I put my seatbelt on… Same thing with being online. What we need people to do is before they turn that laptop on… make sure you’re safe.” As scams grow more sophisticated and AI gives fraudsters new tools, crypto platforms are under increasing pressure to protect users and preserve trust. In this episode, we unpack how fraud is evolving across the crypto space, what collaboration looks like between exchanges and law enforcement, and why education ...
“Fraudsters are preying on human emotion… and it clearly works.” Scams are becoming more personal, more emotional, and more sophisticated. In this episode, we explore how social engineering, investment scams, and “crime-as-a-service” are reshaping the fraud landscape, and why awareness and collaboration are our strongest defences. Our special guests this week are Jessie Apple, Group Head of FinCrime Compliance & Risk and UK MLRO at Wise, Co-Chair, ACAMS UK Chapter and Aaron Wilson, Product L...
"The main thing that agentic AI is going to be good at is pulling together data from multiple sources… metadata, images, device intelligence, and reconciling it to spot subtle fraud signs humans might miss.” As fraud grows more sophisticated, financial institutions are turning to agentic AI: systems that don’t just analyse data, but act on it to detect and prevent fraudulent activity at scale. In this episode, we explore how these AI agents are reshaping compliance and fraud prevention, and what...
“Trust may sound soft, but in practice it’s the hardest currency there is… and in a world of AI, bots, and fraud, trust can make or break a platform.” As AI grows more complex and cybercriminals more sophisticated, the need to earn and protect trust has never been greater. In this episode, we dive into why trust is at the centre of digital identity, how businesses can build it, and what happens when it breaks. Our special guests this week are Eddie Moxon-Garcia, Product Marketing Lead at Sumsub,...
Season 4 of What The Fraud is coming this month. As AI gets more complex, and cyber-criminals keep finding new ways to exploit it, these conversations matter more than ever. Join host Thomas Taraniuk as he speaks to the people in the know - the experts, the insiders, the ones on the front line, to unpack the big questions, cut through the noise, and make sense of the biggest issues in digital fraud. Don't want to miss an episode? Follow the show now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
“You don't need to hack an Uber, you just need €200 and a Telegram account, and you can just buy the whole new profile.” The cars we drive and rent are now becoming a new frontier for cyber crime. From ghost drivers and fake IDs to money laundering and QR-code scams, the mobility space is facing a new wave of digital threats. Our special guest this week is Karolina Kausylaite, Compliance Manager at Tesla Financial Services and an expert in anti-money laundering. She’s worked at PPRO, N26 and Dan...
“In the tech space, in the platform space, there are a ton of other disruptive brands out there. So if you're not keeping your customers safe, if you're not protecting their trust, there are other options for them to go to.” We often talk about the risks fraud poses to your trust, your customers, and your bottom line. But there can be upsides to strong security — and in this episode we discuss how trust can become your company’s competitive edge. The rapid growth of AI is offering businesses all...
In our second episode of What the Fraud? , recorded live at Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam , we dive into how leading fintech voices are tackling the growing challenge of sophisticated, borderless fraud. From embedding fraud controls early to leveraging AI and cross-team collaboration, our guests share invaluable insights into balancing security with seamless customer experience. In this episode, you’ll hear from: Spencer Hanlon , COO at Nium – on the relentless nature of fraud prevention, stayi...
In this special episode of What the Fraud? , recorded at Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, we sit down with five senior leaders shaping the future of modern banking, payments, and risk. From AI-driven fraud to embedded finance, evolving identity threats, and shifting regulatory demands, we unpack how today’s banking and compliance leaders are building trust while continuing to innovate. You’ll hear from: Mitch Trehan , Chief Compliance Officer at Allica Bank, on designing a fraud-resilient lending...
“Imagine a campus with 35 buildings, but they are all for the purpose of scamming. It was a walled in, locked down facility where hundreds, thousands of people were in the business of scamming people all over the world.” Pig Butchering scams have become some of the most lucrative online frauds around. These are highly organized, emotionally manipulative schemes where victims are tricked into handing over life savings, often after forming fake romantic relationships with their scammers. Since 202...
“99% of employees are good employees - it’s the 1% that hurts” When we talk about the risk of fraud to a business, it doesn’t always come from hackers or outsiders - it often starts inside the building. Insider attacks can cost companies a lot. In 2024, the average cost of an insider attack was 17.4 million dollars, but there’s also a cost in trust and reputation. In this episode, we’re diving into insider fraud with Marc Evans the founder of Fraud Hero. He’s a Certified Fraud Examiner, law enfo...
“I think from a prevention perspective, a little friction at the beginning is not necessarily a bad thing.” Real-time payments have become the bedrock of modern life. Whether you’re splitting dinner or closing a corporate buyout, money now moves instantly—and irreversibly. But that convenience comes with a new tangle of risks: fraud, liability, and the shrinking window to react. In this episode of What The Fraud? , we sit down with Arthur Bedel —Global Director of Revenue at VGS , fintech adviso...
“If cybercrime were a country today, it would have the third largest economy on the planet.” Fraud is no longer just a crime - it has become a global business with software at its heart. With Fraud-as-a-Service (FaaS), anyone can access cybercrime tools online, no technical skills required, and at a fraction of the price. In this episode, we’re joined by Brett Johnson, one of the early pioneers in digital fraud. He’s a poacher turned gamekeeper who set up one of the world’s biggest hacking commu...
“Governments worldwide are recognizing that paper-based identification just doesn't cut it for a digital-first economy.” Nations across the world are racing to roll out digital identity systems, promising greater convenience, security and efficiency. But with new technology comes new risks. Hackers recently exposed vulnerabilities in Germany’s digital ID system, affecting over 10 million users - and in India, login credentials were leaked on the dark web for just $8. In this episode, we sit down...
