Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural Tackling Economic Crime Thought Leadership Summit, the event is set to return to the Novotel London West on Friday, 15 November 2024. Sponsored by Greylist Trace and supported by the UK Fraud Forum, this year’s theme is ‘Strength in Unity: Harnessing Collaboration to Combat Economic Crime’.
The summit will feature speakers from both public and private sectors, offering a unique platform for those involved in combating economic crime to network, share best practices, and engage in discussions about current challenges.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry leaders and enhance your strategies in tackling economic crime. Register now to secure your place.
TECAs Thought Leadership Programme:
Modernising the fight against fraud
Mark Cheeseman – Chief Executive, Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA)
Fraud and error in central government in the UK amounts to between £40 billion and £58 billion annually. This figure highlights the urgent need for a strategic overhaul in how public bodies tackle fraud. The UK government is shifting from a predominantly reactive stance to a proactive, risk-based approach. This transformation involves not only modernising detection and prevention efforts but also fostering deep partnerships across various sectors. By collaborating with industry leaders, technology firms, and academic institutions, the government aims to leverage advanced analytics and intelligence to better understand and increase its impact on the hidden problem of fraud. These partnerships are crucial in developing innovative solutions and enhancing the overall effectiveness of anti-fraud measures.
Lesson learned from Operation Signature
Bernadette Lawrie – Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, Sussex Police
Lisa Mills – Senior Fraud Manager, Victim Support
Initiated by Sussex Police, Operation Signature is a standardised process designed to identify, protect, and support vulnerable fraud victims. Introduced when fraud was often seen as a victimless crime with purely financial impacts, the initiative marked a shift in policing and industry perceptions. It aimed to move away from victim-blaming and towards understanding that fraud affects everyone, often requiring long-term support. By partnering with Victim Support, Fraud Caseworkers were introduced to provide ongoing assistance to those most at risk. This evolving partnership continues to innovate, strengthen relationships, and fill service gaps, effectively raising the profile of fraud victim safeguarding nationally.
Educating through fraud
Arun Chauhan – Director, Tenet Law
Being a lawyer handling fraud investigations and disputes requires more than just legal expertise; it demands a broad range of skills. In partnership with the University of Birmingham’s law school, the law firm Tenet has been running a pro bono scheme for fraud victims. This initiative emphasises the importance of combining legal knowledge with human skills to provide meaningful support and confidence to those in need. This talk will outline this partnership and explore the specific skills Tenet aims to instil in law students and how they are being educated through real-world fraud cases.
Tackling Economic Crime: where does the Board come in?
Sarah-Jill Lennard – Non Executive Director, Cifas
We often discuss the importance of teams collaborating on personnel, cybersecurity, and fraud, especially regarding insider and outsider threats which can escalate from electronic attacks to theft and economic crime. While internal and external partnerships are emphasised, how often do we consider collaborating with the Board or Executive? They’re often seen as obstacles who don’t fully understand our role or provide adequate resources and view ‘security and all that’ as a necessary nuisance. We need to shift this paradigm by speaking their language, aligning security with their priorities, and fostering cooperation.
Panel discussion:
Navigating GDPR: effective data sharing strategies
Professor Martin Gill – Perpetuity Research (Chair)
Lisa Smith – Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Cifas
Lori Arslan – Investigator, National Hunter
Others TBC
In the complex landscape of data protection and privacy regulations, many organisations face significant challenges in sharing data and intelligence due to concerns about breaching the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPRs). These regulations are often perceived as barriers that hinder collaboration, particularly in sectors where data sharing is essential for activities like tackling economic crime. However, while some organisations have struggled to overcome these, others have successfully navigated these legal complexities, developing strategies that allow them to share data effectively while remaining compliant with the law. This panel session will bring together professionals who have successfully overcome these regulatory hurdles to discuss their approaches and best practices. Through their insights, attendees will learn how to balance compliance with operational needs, and how to engage in data-sharing partnerships without compromising legal integrity. The session aims to provide actionable strategies for organisations that have struggled with GDPR compliance, enabling them to enhance their data-sharing capabilities while minimising legal risks.
An exercise in professional empathy
Paul Maskall – Principal, Strategic Fraud Prevention & Behavioural Lead, UK Finance
At conferences, we often hear buzzwords like “collaboration,” “data sharing,” or the ever-popular “the [insert industry here] should do more.” However, in a complex, stakeholder-rich environment like counter-fraud, it’s crucial to move beyond these phrases and engage in healthier, more productive conversations. Paul delves into his work within the joint law enforcement and financial industry space, offering lessons we can learn as we move forward.
Doors to the summit will open at 11:30 with lunch provided and an exhibition showcasing various products and services. The event will conclude at 17:00 followed by the TECAs awards dinner at 18:45.
Tickets for the summit are priced at £99 + VAT, which includes lunch, access to the exhibition, summit sessions, and afternoon refreshments.
For organisations looking to promote their products and services, table-top exhibition space is available for £495 + VAT. This package includes two complimentary summit tickets.