Guest: Sriram Bhattaru, Calvin Tewari
Let’s break this down.
In this episode of Fraudology, I’m continuing my conversation with two fraud leaders from Booking.com, Sriram Bhattaru and Calvin Tewari. If you caught part one, you already know how thoughtful their approach to fraud prevention is.
But in this part of the conversation, we go deeper into something that every fraud team eventually experiences, whether they realize it or not.
The fraud technology maturity curve.
Because here’s what actually happens inside most organizations.
Early on, fraud teams implement new tools, new models, or new processes and the results are dramatic. Fraud drops. Stakeholders celebrate. The program looks like a huge success.
And then things start to level off.
The easy wins disappear. Fraudsters adapt. And suddenly the same tools that worked incredibly well a year ago aren’t delivering the same gains anymore.
That’s the S-curve of fraud operations. And understanding that curve is critical if you want your fraud program to keep evolving instead of stalling out.
In this episode, Sriram, Calvin, and I talk about how fraud operations evolve over time, why product and engineering partnerships matter more as programs mature, and how fraud teams can keep innovating even when the growth curve starts to flatten.
Here is what the fraud technology maturity curve looks like in practice:
- scaling fraud controls as transaction volume and fraud complexity increase
- adapting fraud strategies by stage of operational maturity
- building stakeholder support for fraud tools through measurable results
- maintaining fraud team agility as fraud tactics evolve
What you’ll hear in this episode
- How the fraud technology maturity curve explains the evolution of fraud programs
- Why the S-curve model applies to fraud operations evolution
- How product-led fraud strategy helps scale fraud defenses
- Why cross-functional fraud collaboration becomes critical as programs mature
- How mature fraud teams continue innovating after early success
You should listen to this episode if you
- lead or work inside a fraud operations team
- build fraud prevention tools or risk platforms
- manage fraud programs for ecommerce, travel, or fintech companies
- want to scale fraud controls across growing platforms
- are trying to move a mature fraud program to its next stage
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Episode notes & key takeaways
Fraud programs follow a technology maturity curve
One of the most useful ways to understand fraud operations is through the idea of a maturity curve.
Early in a fraud program’s life, teams often experience quick wins. A new rule set, a new model, or a new vendor can dramatically reduce fraud losses. Leadership sees the improvement immediately.
But what I’ve seen again and again is that those gains rarely continue at the same pace forever.
Operational indicators may include:
- S-curve fraud operations where early improvements are rapid
- operational fraud maturity requiring more advanced detection strategies
- fraud innovation lifecycle shifting from quick wins to optimization
- mature fraud program strategy focused on long-term resilience
At that stage, fraud teams need to evolve their thinking from quick fixes to long-term systems design.
Scaling fraud controls requires product and engineering alignment
Another big theme in this conversation is the importance of working closely with product and engineering teams.
In the early days of a fraud program, manual processes and operational rules might carry a lot of the load. But as platforms grow, those approaches start to break down.
Operational indicators may include:
- product-led fraud strategy embedding risk controls into platform design
- technology-driven fraud prevention improving automated detection
- fraud ops and product management collaborating on scalable solutions
- scaling fraud controls across large global platforms
When fraud prevention becomes part of the product architecture itself, the program becomes far more sustainable.
Mature fraud teams must keep innovating
One of the biggest risks for successful fraud programs is complacency.
When fraud metrics stabilize or improve, organizations sometimes assume the problem has been solved. But the reality is that fraudsters are constantly adapting.
Operational indicators may include:
- fraud saturation phase where performance improvements plateau
- continuous fraud improvement needed to counter evolving tactics
- adapting fraud strategies by stage of program maturity
- long-term fraud program growth requiring ongoing experimentation
The fraud teams that stay curious and keep testing new approaches are the ones that remain effective over time.
Collaboration keeps fraud teams ahead of attackers
Finally, one of the most important themes we talk about in this episode is collaboration. Fraud prevention is never just a fraud team problem.
Operational indicators may include:
- cross-functional fraud collaboration across engineering and product teams
- stakeholder support for fraud tools increasing adoption and impact
- fraud team agility enabling faster responses to new threats
- travel fraud prevention benefiting from shared expertise
When fraud teams work closely with the rest of the organization, they’re far better equipped to respond to the next wave of fraud attacks.
