Guest: Mary Ann Miller & Frank McKenna
Let’s break this down.
Every year around this time, I start seeing the same question pop up across fraud teams and risk leaders.
What’s coming next?
Fraud never stays still. Attackers adapt. New technology changes the playing field. And every year we see a new mix of tactics showing up across ecommerce, banking, fintech, and crypto platforms.
So in this episode, I sat down with two people who spend as much time thinking about fraud trends as anyone I know: Mary Ann Miller and Frank McKenna.
If you work in fraud, you probably already know both of them.
Mary Ann has spent decades fighting financial crime across banks and fintech platforms, and Frank has built one of the most widely read fraud intelligence communities in the industry.
Together, the three of us talk through what we’re seeing right now and what we expect to shape the fraud landscape in 2024\.
Because honestly, a lot of the signals are already there.
AI-generated scams are evolving fast. Identity verification systems are under pressure. And fraudsters are becoming increasingly creative in how they exploit gaps in KYC, authentication, and platform trust.
Here is what the 2024 fraud prediction conversation focuses on:
- the rapid rise of AI-driven scams like voice cloning and deepfake impersonation
- identity verification challenges caused by synthetic identities and digital doppelgangers
- how economic pressure may increase founder fraud and insider abuse
- why data breaches continue to fuel fraud across multiple industries
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- The biggest fraud trends Mary Ann, Frank, and I expect in 2024
- Why AI voice cloning and deepfake scams are becoming more dangerous
- How weak KYC processes continue to expose financial platforms
- The relationship between data breaches and large-scale fraud waves
- Why community knowledge sharing remains critical for fraud teams
You should listen to this episode if you:
- work in fraud prevention, financial crime, or risk management
- want to understand emerging fraud threats in 2024
- oversee identity verification or authentication systems
- are responsible for planning fraud prevention strategy
If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and review the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps with getting the word out.
Episode notes & key takeaways
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that fraud predictions are rarely about completely new ideas.
Most of the time, they’re about understanding how existing attack patterns evolve when new technology becomes available.
That’s a big theme in this conversation.
Mary Ann, Frank, and I talk about how emerging technologies like AI voice cloning, deepfake identity manipulation, and automated fraud tools could reshape online fraud in 2024\.
And we also talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention.
How the fraud community itself shares intelligence and helps each other stay ahead of these threats.
Why AI scams will accelerate in 2024
One of the biggest themes we discuss is the rapid growth of AI-enabled scams.
Voice cloning technology is already being used in fraud attempts that impersonate executives, family members, or trusted contacts.
As these tools improve, detecting synthetic audio or video will become significantly more difficult.
Operational signals may include:
- suspicious voice calls requesting urgent financial actions
- impersonation attempts using AI-generated audio
- deepfake video used in social engineering campaigns
- scams that mimic trusted individuals with convincing realism
Identity verification systems are under pressure
Another topic we spend time discussing is identity verification.
KYC systems were designed to verify real individuals using documentation, identity data, and behavioral signals.
But when attackers can create synthetic identities or manipulate biometric signals, those systems face new challenges.
Operational indicators may include:
- identity documents reused across multiple accounts
- synthetic identities created using breach data
- biometric spoofing attempts during onboarding
- identity verification failures tied to deepfake technology
Economic pressure may increase fraud risk
Fraud patterns often shift when economic conditions change.
Periods of financial stress sometimes increase insider fraud, founder fraud, and opportunistic scams targeting businesses.
While these patterns aren’t new, the scale and speed of fraud can increase when economic pressures intensify.
Operational signals may include:
- fraudulent business loan applications
- misrepresentation of company financial data
- increased insider abuse inside organizations
- startups engaging in deceptive financial practices
Why the fraud community matters
One thing I always appreciate when talking with Mary Ann and Frank is how much emphasis they place on community knowledge.
Fraud prevention is one of those fields where practitioners constantly learn from each other.
Whether it’s sharing attack patterns, discussing new scam tactics, or publishing fraud intelligence, the community plays a huge role in helping teams stay ahead.
Operational benefits may include:
- faster identification of emerging fraud patterns
- collaborative investigations across companies
- shared knowledge about new scam tactics
- stronger industry awareness around fraud threats
The key thing I keep coming back to after conversations like this is simple.
Fraud is constantly evolving, but the people fighting it are constantly learning too.
And when the fraud community shares insights, experiences, and predictions, it becomes much easier for businesses to prepare for the threats that are coming next.
