--- title: Fraud Prevention Conference Strategy with PJ Rohall source_page: https://www.sardine.ai/media/fraud-forward/episodes/financial-crime-conference canonical: https://www.sardine.ai/media/fraud-forward/episodes/financial-crime-conference format: text/markdown date: 2025-08-20T00:00:00.000Z description: Fraud teams face burnout, siloed risk functions, and escalating scam volumes. See how industry collaboration sharpens strategy and supports fraud professionals... --- **Quick links:** [Human page](https://www.sardine.ai/media/fraud-forward/episodes/financial-crime-conference) · [Home](https://www.sardine.ai) · [Customers](https://www.sardine.ai/customers) · [Blog](https://www.sardine.ai/blog) · [Demo](https://www.sardine.ai/demo) --- # Fraud Prevention Conference Strategy with PJ Rohall **Published:** 2025-08-20T00:00:00.000Z Fraud teams face burnout, siloed risk functions, and escalating scam volumes. See how industry collaboration sharpens strategy and supports fraud professionals... What’s up fraud fighters, and welcome to Fraud Forward! Alright, let’s get into it, because a financial crime conference can either be a nice networking moment, or it can be real infrastructure for the people actually carrying fraud programs on their backs. And right now, fraud teams are dealing with fraud team burnout, siloed risk functions, sustained scam volumes, and payments fraud risk accelerating across rails faster than most institutions can adapt. So if we’re going to spend time and budget on fraud industry events, I want it to be for something that actually sharpens fraud program strategy and supports fraud prevention professionals in the trenches. In this episode, I’m talking with PJ Rohall, co-founder of About Fraud and Fraud Fight Club, about the strategy behind designing a practitioner-led financial crime conference that prioritizes operational relevance, transparency, and fraud community building over formality. Because when it’s done right, an anti fraud conference is not entertainment. It’s intelligence exchange. It’s fraud prevention networking that shortens the distance between what one team sees today and what another team gets hit with tomorrow. Why this matters for fraud fighters Let’s reset the room for a moment. Fraud risk is expanding across payment channels, account takeover tactics, social engineering typologies, and synthetic identity strategies. At the same time, the workforce is stretched thin, and financial institution fraud risk is rising. Here’s why conference strategy matters operationally: Fraud industry events can reduce information latency when teams share what’s working and what’s failing in real time Fraud community building creates faster escalation instincts and stronger fraud prevention best practices across institutions Fraud leadership development gets stronger when new voices are elevated and frontline realities are centered BSA and fraud collaboration improves when fraud and financial crime compliance teams have shared language and shared pressure-tested playbooks Payments fraud risk changes faster than many training cycles, so peer exchange becomes a force multiplier Fraud team burnout gets worse when teams feel isolated, and better when teams feel connected and supported Fraud prevention professionals should not have to feel like they are fighting alone in parallel universes while the same bank fraud trends and scam typologies repeat across the country. What you’ll hear in this episode How Fraud Fight Club redesigned the traditional financial crime conference model to be practitioner-led and operationally grounded The strategy behind curating conference speaker diversity and elevating real fraud operations leadership voices Lessons learned from organizing a high-impact fraud industry event and what made it work The operational and emotional realities of fraud team burnout and fraud investigation careers under sustained pressure Expanding public-facing scam awareness programs and scam prevention outreach beyond institutional walls You should listen to this episode if you Lead or work within a bank or credit union fraud program and want stronger credit union fraud prevention outcomes through better intelligence exchange Oversee fraud risk management, investigations, or scam prevention and want practical fraud program strategy insights Manage BSA and fraud collaboration and want clearer cross-functional alignment on emerging threats Are responsible for fraud operations leadership or payments fraud risk and need better feedback loops than vendor decks provide Are evaluating how fraud industry events impact institutional strategy and workforce sustainability If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and review Fraud Forward on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen. It really helps with getting the word out. Episode notes and key takeaways ### Modern financial crime conference as operational infrastructure Traditional fraud industry events can struggle to balance formal programming with meaningful peer exchange. This episode breaks down how Fraud Fight Club reimagined the financial crime conference format to create an environment that is: Practitioner-led Operationally grounded Community-driven Accessible to fraud prevention professionals across career stages Rather than prioritizing corporate polish or vendor visibility, the focus is real-world fraud experiences, open dialogue, and practical intelligence sharing. And for financial institutions, that distinction matters. A well-designed financial crime conference can directly influence how teams respond to emerging threats because it reduces the time between detection and awareness. ### How fraud is changing and accelerating Let me just assure you, the pace is not slowing. Fraud is scaling across: Payments channels and payments fraud risk exposure Account takeover tactics that evolve fast Social engineering and scam typologies that weaponize trust Synthetic identity strategies that increase long-term remediation cost As these threats accelerate, institutions need: Faster feedback loops Clearer intelligence exchange More transparent dialogue about what is and is not working More cross-institution learning to reduce repeated failures A financial crime conference that enables transparency and cross-industry coordination becomes infrastructure, not entertainment. ### What fraud teams experienced at Fraud Fight Club PJ reflects on organizing Round Two of Fraud Fight Club, and this is where the human side hits. Themes included: Emotional moments among fraud professionals who finally felt seen Candid discussions about burnout, career fatigue, and the weight of sustained case volume Logistical realities of building an independent fraud industry event The importance of empowering new voices in fraud leadership and elevating frontline investigators Fraud teams are dealing with reimbursement disputes, regulatory scrutiny, and constant operational strain. Peer validation and shared learning are operationally stabilizing. 100 percent. ### Key fraud trends shaping next year This episode surfaces trends that directly impact fraud program strategy: Expanded public scam awareness campaigns and scam awareness programs Stronger BSA and fraud collaboration, especially where typologies overlap Increased demand for authentic fraud leadership and practical fraud education initiatives More focus on fraud investigator career sustainability and retention And the discussion around scam prevention outreach is important because consumer education has to extend beyond institutional messaging. Communities need the language and the red flags in plain terms. ### Where fraud programs are most exposed Financial institutions remain exposed in areas like: Consumer scam reimbursement disputes and reputational fallout Operational strain from high case volumes and staffing constraints Talent retention challenges tied to fraud team burnout Siloed communication between fraud, BSA, and payments teams that slows escalation A thoughtfully structured financial crime conference can help close these gaps by facilitating: Knowledge exchange that shortens learning cycles Fraud prevention networking that builds real support systems Leadership alignment that reduces internal friction Shared fraud prevention best practices that can be operationalized quickly ### Executive lens for conference participation Here’s the leadership takeaway. A financial crime conference should not be measured by attendance volume or sponsor presence. The real question is: Does it materially improve institutional readiness? Because without this kind of exchange: Institutions stay siloed Repeat typologies propagate across organizations Escalation frameworks vary widely Workforce fatigue increases as teams feel isolated Executive leaders should evaluate conference participation through an operational lens. Not brand visibility. Readiness, coordination, and sustainability. The evolution of Banking on Fraudology The mission stays the same: Elevate fraud prevention education. Strengthen banking community leadership. Support real operators inside community banks and credit unions. Build durable fraud community building frameworks. Advance fraud prevention thought leadership that is grounded, not hyped. The future of banking fraud prevention depends on community. The future of credit union fraud prevention depends on collaboration. The future of fraud industry evolution depends on shared intelligence and values alignment. We are leveling up. And we are doing it together. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and keep moving fraud forward.