Wow, what a mad few weeks it has been at Fraud Consulting HQ… If my blogging activity has been a bit sporadic it is because I no longer have time to think let alone write. However I do need to ensure that @FraudBloke doesn’t completely take over blogging here at #TheFraudTube and so I have set aside a small amount of time today.
So, what has been going on? Well, for one it is “conference season” which has seen me attend events such as The ACFE European Fraud Conference in Prague. Meanwhile CIFAS have been intent on fattening us all up with not one but two breakfast briefings, however I am not a big fan of arriving into central London for an 08:30 start so my vote is for “brunch” briefings next time please!
On the pure consultancy side of things I find myself being approached by SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) more frequently. There is a very clear awareness gap here when it comes to reporting, getting assistance with, and resolving fraud issues. The reality is that the costs for investigation, prosecution and recovery are often too high for many and this is not the way it should be in my opinion. This is something that I know The Fraud Advisory Panel is looking into very actively right now so I hope we will see some positive outcomes in due course. While I am always happy to help SMEs where I can I simply cannot recommend getting legal support on cases where the fraud loss is less than, say, £100k.
As many of you already know, we have also been involved with a spot of charity work (although I don’t like to talk about it mate). Many thanks to all those who attended the recent webinar on cybercrime and AML, with your help we managed to raise £555 for Comic Relief. Missed it? Well fear not, for a modest donation (say £15), I can make a recording available to you to watch at your own leisure. Also thanks to those who supplied amusing and relevant content for our #FunnyFraud blog.
Just three weeks ago I also announced my new role with CSCSS (The Centre for Strategic Cyberspace + Security Science). In collaboration with @NeiraJones we will shortly be launching a Cybercrime + Fraud Intelligence Group, meanwhile over the next few weeks I will be going on a short “tour” so perhaps our paths will cross soon!
Current “Tour” details are as follows:
| Date(s) | Location | Event | Key Partners |
| 11th -12th April | Dublin, Ireland | VigiTrust Advisory Board Meeting |   |
| 15th – 17th April | London, England | Trade Surveillance and Compliance Monitoring |  |
| 16th April | The Interweb | Collaborative Intelligence Sharing Forum |  |
| 17th -19th April | Ayia Napa, Cyprus | IAFCI Europe |   |
| 23nd-25th April | London, England | Infosecurity Europe 2013 | (Just attending this one!) |
| 23rd – 25th April | London, England | Internet World | (Just attending this one!) |
| 24th – 25th April | London, England | Forensics Europe Expo | (Just attending this one!) |
| 21st May | London, England | Fraud & Error Conference |   |
| 3rd June | London Stock Exchange | DRMFS 2013 |  |
| 4th June | Portsmouth, England | Institute of Criminal Justice Studies: Counter Fraud and Forensic Accounting Conference |   |
Why am I telling you about all of these events… well there is so much going on it is as much for my benefit as yours! Also, for a number of the these I am able to offer discounted entry to our readers! If this is of interest then please contact me or tweet me (we would love for you to join us!). So, that is a month in the life of a fraud consultant. What will the next month bring? I have a pretty good idea but that will have to wait for another time…
D.
About Darren Hodder
Darren is the director of Fraud Consulting Ltd, which was incorporated in July 2009 to provide vendor neutral fraud consultancy services to clients covering financial services, banking, telecommunications and insurance industries, both in the UK and internationally.
His experience ranges from working on single portfolio in-house solutions through to national fraud bureaux and data sharing initiatives. Prior to his current position Darren worked for Experian Decision Analytics (EDA) where he held various roles within the Fraud & Identity Solutions and Global Technology groups over a 10 year period.
Darren is an active member of the Fraud Advisory Panel, IAFCI and the ACFE. He is also a member of the editorial board for E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy published by Cecile Park Publishing.
Follow Darren on twitter: @FraudAssist