A Giant Serving of Gratitude: Thanksgiving Special on Empathy, Collaboration, & the Future of Fraud Fighting

In this reflective, gratitude-filled episode of Banking on Fraudology, Hailey Windham steps back to recognize the people and themes shaping the fight against fraud, delivering what she calls a “giant serving of gratitude” for the community.

The conversation explores the industry’s evolution, highlighting how innovation and collaboration are aligning to create a powerful, transformative moment in fraud prevention. Hailey also shares personal highlights from a recent major industry event and spotlights leaders who are making a meaningful impact.

Key takeaways: Gratitude, collaboration, and the future of fraud fighting

Empathy is not optional

• Hailey emphasizes that empathy must be recognized as a core fraud prevention strategy. Inspired by Kathy Stokes of AARP and the Words Matter campaign, the episode reinforces that shaming victims only protects fraudsters. 
• Victims must be spoken about with dignity and respect.

The end of siloed intelligence

• Collaboration is no longer optional, and we fight better when we fight together. 
• Hailey reflects on conversations with innovators such as Ravi from Sardine, who advocate for collective intelligence, shared signals, and intentionally bringing smaller institutions into the fold.

Innovation is working for us

• Drawing on insights from Andrea at Old Glory Bank, Hailey shares that this is one of the best moments to be fighting fraud. 
• Technology, data, and awareness are converging, and tools are evolving rapidly. 
• Fraud fighters are encouraged to embrace modern technology and AI-driven resources.

Spotlight on industry leaders

• Hailey expresses deep gratitude for the impact of leaders across the industry, including Jen Lamont from America’s Credit Unions for empowering frontline teams through quarterly fraud training, 
• Mark Solomon from IAFCI for bringing a global perspective, and Trisha Stoner from the Carolinas Chapter of IAFCI, whom Hailey is honored to serve under as Second Vice President.

Honoring courage and legacy

• The episode shares powerful moments from the Carolinas IAFCI Conference, including the creation of a Community Service Award and the introduction of the Gavin Guffey Cyber Investigator of the Year Award. 
• This award honors the legacy of Gavin Guffey and the advocacy of House Representative Brandon Guffey in the fight against online exploitation and sextortion.

The state of the fraud fighter

• A consistent theme echoed by every guest is that fraud fighters are exhausted, but hopeful. This combination of resilience, determination, and optimism is what continues to drive real progress.

Take a moment to reflect with gratitude and be reminded of just how strong the fraud-fighting community truly is.