Fraudish

Guest: Melissa Jones, SIU Investigator at Crum & Forster ("OSINT Millennial")

Host Kelly Paxton sits down with Melissa Jones — insurance fraud investigator, OSINT trainer, and self-described "OSINT Millennial" — for a wide-ranging conversation about building a career in Special Investigations, the art of digital digging, and why connection (both online and on the ball hockey rink) drives everything Melissa does.

Episode Highlights

Fraudster Dinner Date Melissa kicks things off with an unexpected pick: convicted FBI spy Robert Hanssen, someone she studied in her criminal justice master's program. Kelly counters with the usual suspects (Charles Ponzi, Elizabeth Holmes) but appreciates the espionage angle.

Who Steals More — Men or Women? A detour into gender and fraud data, including a striking stat Kelly cites from a colleague's fire department embezzlement research: women make up only about 3% of fire department staff but account for roughly 28% of thefts. Melissa admits her own SIU team doesn't currently track gender breakdowns — but wants to start.

From Direct Bill Clerk to SIU Investigator Melissa traces her 12-year (and counting) career at Crum & Forster: a psychology degree from Ramapo College, an entry-level insurance ops job in 2014, a move into policy operations, and a leap into the Special Investigations Unit as an analyst in 2017 after spotting an internal job posting. She was promoted to investigator in 2022 and now works alongside a nationwide SIU team of 15–16 people.

Why Insurers Have the Data Advantage Kelly and Melissa talk shop on how much visibility insurance companies have into patterns of behavior — from claims data to spending anomalies — and how that data gets put to work across property/casualty, auto, workers' comp, and even pet insurance claims.

Building the "OSINT Millennial" Brand Melissa describes how she got into public speaking after approaching fellow investigator Joe Stevenson at a conference in Hersheypark in 2019, which led to her first joint presentation. She's since built her own social-media-investigations talks under the "OSINT Millennial" tagline, using only publicly available content (never her active casework) to teach audiences — including a recent stop in Leominster, MA that packed the room.

Industry Shoutouts

• OsmosisCon and Cynthia Hetherington — Melissa has FOMO for missing this year's conference and hopes to attend next year.
• Ritu Gill and other women in the OSINT/investigations space Melissa admires and reshares often.
• Christina Fiscella— noted for her work on gray-collar crime and elder fraud cases.
• Hank Asher/"Hank Venice" (as referenced in the episode) and Brian from Diligentia Group — mentors and friends from the investigations conference circuit.

Age, Assumptions, and Social Media Investigations A deep dive into why investigators shouldn't assume older subjects are "off the grid" — and why understanding how each platform works (not just whether someone uses it) is the real skill in OSINT investigations.

Fraud in Pop Culture Melissa's take: reality TV like Survivor is basically fraud and manipulation for sport. Kelly recommends checking out a Hacks episode (Season 5) with a surprisingly relevant survivor-style storyline.

Investigative Philosophy: "Dig" and "Trust but Triangulate" Both hosts bond over shared investigator vocabulary — the instinct to "dig," and Kelly's own mantra, "trust but triangulate," as a more generous alternative to "trust but verify."

Ball Hockey — More Than a Hobby Melissa opens up about her ball hockey career, playing internationally (including in the Dominican Republic) and around the U.S. (Nashville, Buffalo, Vegas), plus a women's league in South Jersey. She credits the sport with building a diverse, tight-knit community — and even a professional networking connection with a teammate who works in arson investigation.

NJSIA Shoutout Melissa is a board member and incoming Vice President of the New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA), which is gearing up for its 35th annual conference and networking seminar in Atlantic City this year. All are welcome to attend.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissajones33/

https://www.instagram.com/osintmillennial/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6P0m2KpUWA

Can you even negotiate fraud? 
This episode on Fraudish we discuss how negotiation and fraud are more related than you would think. 

I am joined by Martin Medeiros about fraud, negotiation, and AI. Martin is an attorney (I know, another one!) who helps organizations build value by treating intellectual property as a strategic asset.

In the episode, Martin describes his career building Fortune 500 tech negotiation teams. We discuss his data-driven negotiation approach using game theory and Bayesian updating. And of course, we discuss using LinkedIn as attorney marketing. 

Connect with Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-medeiros2/

Persuasion Lab: https://thepersuasionlab.com/

Buckley Law: https://www.buckley-law.com/martin-medeiros/

Which fraudsters would you have dinner with? 

Most people would answer Bernie Madoff or Charles Ponzi. But how many of you would pick a famous fraud investigator? Our guest in this episode does!

Michelle Tavares recently launched Standard and Proof Investigations, a litigation support focused on financial fraud, OSINT searches, corporate governance, and assessing the integrity of AI-produced data. Michelle discusses her career through consumer protection roles at the CFPB and the FTC, plus her long-standing focus on forensic accounting and following the flow of funds. In a speed round, she names Kate Ward, Pinkerton’s first female private investigator. 

Connect with Michelle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-t-59751427/

What does your grandmother have to do with corporate governance? More than you might think.

In this episode, Kelly Paxton sits down with Evan Tsai, an auditor, compliance veteran, and newly minted founder of Phoenix Ascent, for a conversation that travels from the fraud pandemic in Taiwan, to a book theft at an auditors' conference, to why governance starts long before any consultant walks through the door.

After 20 years in audit, risk, and compliance, Evan kept seeing the same movie play out: companies chasing big, shiny tools without first understanding their own processes, people, or data. That pattern and a deep respect for governance instilled by his grandparents in Taiwan is what drove him to launch Phoenix Ascent and help organizations understand where they actually stand before the regulators come knocking.

Plus: Evan shares why no organization (or auditor) is truly above temptation. 

Connect with Evan Tsai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanjtsai/

Phoenix Ascent:https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoenix-ascent-advisory-llc/

Have you hear of the False Claims Act? This whistleblower statute recovers $2–6 billion per year for taxpayers. But most of us have never heard of it. 

Well, If you report fraud against the government (a "qui tam" action) and the government recovers, the whistleblower receives 15–25% of the recovery.

Sam Buffone is our guest on this episode of Fraudish, he is whistleblower attorney and founder of the Buffone Law Group. Sam spent 9 years at the Department of Justice and helped recover $3 billion in civil fraud enforcement. Kelly met him at the Maryland ACFE conference after being impressed by his last-minute fill-in presentation.

Sam describes his role as a translator: whistleblowers come to him feeling gaslit, with scattershot observations, and he packages their experience into something that speaks the government's language and directs investigative attention. Cases routinely take years. He works on contingency (no recovery = no fee), which is essential since whistleblowers rarely have the budget to fight corporations.

Sam doesn't advertise. Whistleblower clients are scared, isolated, and often don't even know whistleblower attorneys exist as a specialty. He relies on referrals to find the right clients. 

Whistleblower Programs to Know

Sam closed with a rundown of the major programs:

• False Claims Act — government/healthcare fraud (qui tam)
• SEC — securities fraud
• CFTC — commodities and crypto fraud
• IRS — tax fraud
• FinCEN — financial crimes, sanctions evasion
• DOJ Antitrust — illegal cartels (growing)
• DOJ Criminal Division — catch-all program
• NHTSA — auto safety/recall issues

Resources & References Mentioned

• Going Infinite by Michael Lewis (FTX/SBF)
• Who Is Government? compiled by Michael Lewis (long-form essays on public servants)
• The Big Short (film)
• My Cousin Vinny — Sam's pick for most legally accurate movie
• Michael Clayton (film)
• Tyler Schultz (Theranos whistleblower)
• James Holzrichter (whistleblower case)
• Erin Brockovich

Connect with Sam Buffone

Buffone Law Group— whistleblower and civil fraud enforcement. Sam encourages anyone who sees something wrong to reach out; initial consultations are free given the contingency model.

Links mentioned: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cousin_Vinny

https://www.taf.org/

https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-catherine-kissick

What happens after someone gets scammed? The money's gone but the shame, the confusion, and the vulnerability to being hit again? That often sticks around. 

This week I'm joined by De'Airra "Dee" Belcher, founder and fraud-prevention lead of JRMT Consulting, and she is tackling the part of fraud recovery most of us aren't talking about.

Dee spent a decade in banking before turning her focus to the people most often left without support after a scam: small businesses, nonprofits, and especially older adults. Her Fraud Recovery and Guidance initiative was built specifically to address what she calls the "aftercare gap" which is the dangerous silence that follows a fraud incident and leaves victims exposed to revictimization.

Dee walks us through how organized fraudster playbooks actually work — the information recycling, the escalation tactics, and how our one fraud attempt does not mean its over. And we discuss how important it is to protect elders and focus on prevention because (if we’re lucky) we’ll be elders one day that are vulnerable to fraud. 

Links:

• Connect with Dee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deairrabelcher/

You may think fraud is a financial issue. And you would be wrong! According to my guest, “Fraud is a culture issue with financial consequences.” And I tend to agree. 

Everything in an organization — good or bad — begins and ends with culture. When leaders look the other way (as illustrated by Tom Hardin's first fraudulent trade going unchallenged by his boss), a culture of permissiveness takes root.

Kelly welcomes back Evie Wentink for her return appearance on Fraudish. Evie is a compliance professional with 20+ years of experience, founder of the Integrity Playbook program, and a passionate advocate for ethics and compliance in both enterprise and small business settings.

📚 Books & References Mentioned

• Tom Hardin — insider trader turned ethics speaker; his book is a recurring touchstone throughout the episode. Evie is co-organizing a Compliance Professionals Meetup in Morristown, NJ featuring Tom Hardin (with book signing).
• "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe — Kelly's current read; a true story about a young British boy whose fascination with Wolf of Wall Street shapes his path.
• "Wolf of Wall Street" — used as a cultural reference point for how organizational culture can normalize extreme behavior.
• "Friends & Neighbors" (Apple TV/HBO Max) — Kelly recommends this Jon Hamm series about a hedge fund manager turned thief for Evie.
• The Better Way Podcast — hosted by Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia; their company is called Culture Data Ethics.

Evie's Final Word for the Audience:

"Relationships are the key to success — not only in business, but in compliance."

If you're in ethics or compliance, make it your goal to meet people across your organization before they ever have to come to you with a problem. Build those relationships proactively. It will become your biggest asset! 

Thanks for listening to Fraudish. Please leave us a good review if you enjoyed!

Connect with Evie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eviewentink/

Ethical Edge Experts: https://www.ethicaledgeexperts.com/

Ethical Edge Substack: https://ethicaledge.substack.com/p/ai-is-everywherebut-understanding?r=52e047&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%2Bviewer&triedRedirect=true

https://substack.com/@ethicaledgebyevie/note/p-195888058?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=52e047

When your last name is Riddle, solving problems kind of feels inevitable.

In this episode, Kelly sits down with Kelly Riddle, founder and CEO of Kelmar Global, to unpack a 37-year career in fraud investigation — from insurance fraud and corporate theft to how the field has evolved in the digital age.

They dive into what actually makes someone commit fraud, the differences between male and female embezzlers, and why no one committing fraud thinks they’re the bad guy. Kelly Riddle also shares his go-to interview techniques for getting people to confess — without ever leading with accusations.

Plus: why committing insurance fraud is a terrible idea (they know more than you think), how technology has changed investigations, and the surprisingly strategic side of naming and branding a business.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why insurance fraud is harder to get away with than ever
• The psychology of fraud: rationalization, guilt, and opportunity
• Male vs. female embezzlers — who actually gets away with more?
• Interview techniques that get people talking (and confessing)
• How fraud investigation has evolved over nearly four decades
• The role of social media and digital footprints in modern cases
• Why you should never name your business after yourself
• How strong branding shapes your reputation in an industry

Connect with Kelly Riddle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyriddle/

Kelmar Global:https://www.kelmarglobal.com/About-Us

PI Insitute: https://piinstitute.com/

She knew she would get caught one day but kept stealing…

Every day at work: "Is this the day?" and when FBI showed up with her boss, she knew immediately. This is Michael's choice for any fraudster to interview: Sue Sachdeva (Koss Corporation). 

Michael Blevins, a fraud prevention consultant based in Palm Springs, California, about his 35+ year career in mortgage banking and fraud prevention. We discuss Sue Sachdeva's shopping addiction embezzlement case, the evolution from consumer fraud to business fraud, the fraud triangle, red flags in employees, and Michael's transition to consulting after a corporate career.

Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelblevins7118/

Blevin Associates: https://www.blevinsassociates.com/

What does it actually take to build a career catching fraudsters?

In this episode, Kelly sits down with Justin Burns, CPA, CFE and founder of Space Coast Forensics, to talk about his journey into forensic accounting — and why success in this field (and honestly, any field) comes down to one simple mindset: just go do the thing.

From cold-emailing his way onto podcasts to building his own practice, Justin shares how taking initiative — even before feeling “ready” — shaped his career.

They also dig into the psychology of fraud, including which fraudsters Justin would most want to interview, why the first time someone steals matters more than anything else, and the truth about gender differences in embezzlement.

Plus: what forensic accountants actually do day-to-day, how to break into the field, and why the community is more supportive than you’d expect.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why asking about the first theft reveals everything
• The truth about gender differences in embezzlement
• How Justin found forensic accounting (and knew it was the right fit)
• What forensic accountants actually do: fraud investigations, litigation support, and more
• The power of cold emails, networking, and taking initiative
• Starting your own practice: exciting, terrifying… and worth it
• Why most people never take the leap — and how to be the exception
• The surprisingly supportive world of forensic accounting

💡 Key Takeaway

Most people wait until they feel ready.
 The ones who succeed? They start before that.

👤 About Justin Burns

Justin Burns, CPA, CFE, is the founder of Space Coast Forensics, where he specializes in fraud investigations, litigation support, and economic damages. He’s also the host of the Data Sleuth Podcast, where he explores real-world fraud cases and forensic accounting insights.

Connect with Justin:
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-burns-cpa-cfe-215506155/

Space Coast Forensics

🎧 Resources & Mentions

• Data Sleuth Podcast
• Crime Junkie
• Swindled
• Criminal with Phoebe Judge
• Dead Money by Jacob Kerr
• Wired on Wall Street by Tom Hardin (Tipper X)