Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In the final new episode of 2025, Karisse Hendrick closes out the year with a solo fraud news roundup covering the latest trends impacting e-commerce, payments, and digital trust. The episode examines the FCC’s response to large-scale robocalls, the rapid evolution of smishing campaigns into rewards and tax-refund lures, and how fraudsters are using one-time passcodes to add stolen payment cards into mobile wallets.

The discussion also explores new EU rules that increase liability for social platforms that fail to remove reported scams, plus the growing threat of bot-driven “professional refund fraud” and AI-manipulated damage claims—raising urgent questions about detection, evidence, and merchant risk workflows heading into 2026.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology, host Karisse Hendrick walks listeners through a packed roundup of the latest fraud, cybercrime, and AI-driven threats shaping the industry. She begins with OpenAI’s disclosure that a third-party analytics breach exposed certain ChatGPT API customer details, then unpacks the rise of Kawaii GPT, a wormGPT style jailbreak tool that bypasses safety filters on mainstream models like DeepSeek and Gemini. Karisse also explores emerging reports that scam compounds in Southeast Asia are testing whether AI can replace trafficked workers in pig-butchering schemes, raising complex questions about enforcement, accountability, and global response.

She then shifts to the retail landscape, where AI bots dominated Black Friday activity through inventory hoarding, credential-stuffing campaigns, and vulnerabilities in new agentic shopping assistants. Karisse also highlights investigative findings on scammers impersonating real lawyers on Fiverr using stolen identities and AI generated headshots, plus real world examples of employees covertly outsourcing their jobs or holding multiple full time roles by leveraging AI tools. The episode rounds out with broader insights into “scam states,” platform liability in the EU, and why January will be “AI Month” on Fraudology, all underscored by Karisse’s gratitude for the listeners whose messages, support, and Spotify Wrapped screenshots keep her motivated.

Links to News Articles:

https://www.the-independent.com/tech/chatgpt-data-breach-openai-hack-b2874393.html

https://gbhackers.com/kawaiigpt-a-free-wormgpt-clone-powered

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ai-may-replace-people-southeast-090000938.html

https://cybernews.com/ai-news/ai-bots-weaponizing-black-friday-shopping

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-11-26/scammers-use-ai-to-impersonate-real-lawyers-on-fiverr

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/02/scam-state-multi-billion-dollar-industry-south-east-asia

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology, host Karisse Hendrick is joined by two of the industry’s most respected fraud experts: Frank McKenna (Co-Founder of Point Predictive) and Matt Vega (Sardine). Together, they break down how AI is transforming the fraud landscape, supercharging deepfake scams, automating exploitation tools, enabling AI-generated phishing sites, and powering large-scale credential-based attacks that bypass traditional controls.

The conversation also highlights what fraud leaders can do: strengthening behavioral biometrics, enabling offensive threat-intel programs, leveraging agent-based automation responsibly, and preparing for a world where AI fights AI inside fraud-detection pipelines. A must-listen for fraud, risk, fintech, banking, and cybersecurity professionals navigating 2025’s rapidly evolving threat environment.

Matt Vega

Frank McKenna

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology host Karisse Hendrick explores two major developments in today’s fraud ecosystem. She begins with a detailed walkthrough of a recent DOJ case involving U.S.-based collaborators supporting Indian call-center scams that defrauded older Americans of more than $40 million. Drawing from court filings, Karisse explains the “opener/closer/money transmitter” phases, cross-border coordination, and how investigators pieced the scheme together.

She then examines a new Reuters report alleging that Meta derived a significant share of revenue from scam and prohibited ads—along with internal metrics showing billions of fraudulent impressions served daily. Karisse highlights key findings, industry reactions, and what this means for trust & safety teams and victims caught in the scam lifecycle.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Mentioned in this episode:

2023-q4-postroll sardine 1

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology, host Karisse Hendrick unpacks a wave of major fraud news and security trends. From the execution sentences of Myanmar’s scam compound kingpins and Starlink’s device crackdown, to Singapore’s $150 million asset freeze targeting the Prince Group, Hendrick explores both the progress and the persistence of global fraud operations.

She also highlights new U.S. fraud schemes impersonating federal agents, the identity theft of Titans quarterback Cam Ward, and serious cybersecurity warnings about AI browsers’ vulnerabilities. With ransomware payments falling and identity attacks surging, Hendrick reflects on how AI will increasingly shape both sides of the fight against fraud.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this investigative update, Fraudology breaks down Visa’s VAMP rollout and its immediate effects on merchants and acquirers. Topics include why some September activity is already being fined; how VAMP now combines TC40 fraud alerts and chargebacks; the $8-per-instance fee (and $16 exposure when a TC40 becomes a chargeback); descriptor-level monitoring; processor-specific ratios; and the acquirer portfolio thresholds (0.7% now; 0.5% in April 2026).

Listeners get practical guidance: validate descriptors to avoid “borrowed” fraud, reconcile TC40s against refunds to prevent double counting, consider contract addendums with fraud vendors that reimburse fines tied to fraud, and weigh diversion tools vs. fee math. The episode closes with predictions for the holiday season and the likely January/February dispute spike.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Mentioned in this episode:

2023-q4-postroll sardine 1

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology, host Karisse Hendrick analyzes several major developments in the global fraud landscape. She breaks down U.S. sanctions against a Cambodian financial group and the coordinated raids on scam compounds in Myanmar, highlighting how enforcement efforts are ramping up across Southeast Asia.

Karisse also explores how fraudsters are adapting by using Starlink satellite internet, raising questions about corporate responsibility in curbing global cybercrime. Plus, she covers Europol’s takedown of a SIM farm operation behind 49 million fake accounts and WhatsApp’s new anti-spam measures. Listeners will come away with valuable context on how technology, regulation, and enforcement are converging to fight digital fraud.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology In this must-listen episode of the Fraudology Podcast, host Karisse Hendrick welcomes back fraud prevention expert Frank McKenna, co-founder of Point Predictive. Together, they explore the explosive rise of deepfakes and AI-generated voice clones, revealing how these technologies have reached a disturbing level of realism and accessibility.

Frank shares jaw-dropping examples of recent AI-powered fraud, including:

• Court cases influenced by deepfakes
• Real estate scams involving cloned identities
• Voice cloning extortion attempts
• And even a chilling story involving his own mother being tricked on a scam video call.

They also discuss alarming new tools like OpenAI’s Sora, capable of generating hyper-realistic celebrity deepfakes, and the emergence of “data sniping”, a tactic where breached personal data is combined with AI content to create highly targeted scams. Whether you’re a fraud analyst, cybersecurity professional, or simply concerned about digital safety, this episode will arm you with crucial insights to recognize and defend against the next generation of AI-enabled deception.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology In this eye-opening episode of the Fraudology Podcast, host Karisse Hendrick uncovers two shocking case studies that expose major security failures at T-Mobile and Meta, and what they mean for the future of digital fraud prevention.

Karisse begins by breaking down the rocky rollout of Visa’s new risk-monitoring system, VAMP, explaining why it’s causing confusion and frustration for eCommerce merchants and acquirers. She also shares exciting news about co-founding the Merchant Fraud Alliance, a first-of-its-kind conference designed to bring together top online merchants for meaningful collaboration—without the vendor noise.

The episode’s main focus dives into two alarming corporate case studies:

• T-Mobile’s 20-Year SIM Swap Problem: Karisse examines legal documents proving that T-Mobile has known about SIM swap vulnerabilities since 2005 but failed to take action—allowing cybercriminals to steal millions in cryptocurrency through unauthorized SIM swaps.
• Meta’s WhatsApp Whistleblower Scandal: A former security chief alleges that up to 500,000 WhatsApp accounts were hacked every day, and over 1,500 engineers had unrestricted access to users’ private data—while Meta leadership ignored the warnings and retaliated against him.

These stories reveal how even the world’s largest tech companies have chosen growth over security, offering critical lessons for anyone responsible for protecting users, data, or digital payments.

Whether you’re a fraud prevention expert, eCommerce leader, or cybersecurity professional, this episode will give you actionable insights into today’s most pressing digital threats—and how to stay ahead of them.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this episode of Fraudology host Karisse Hendrick kicks off this episode with updates on recent fraud news, including new sanctions against Southeast Asian cyber scam networks and the ongoing Shiny Hunters attacks targeting Salesforce plugins. But the meat of the episode focuses on a blockbuster CNBC investigation into fraud on Walmart's third-party marketplace. Karisse meticulously breaks down the investigation's findings, from Walmart's rapid marketplace growth and loosened seller vetting to the proliferation of counterfeit goods and seller identity theft. She explains how Walmart's efforts to woo sellers from Amazon backfired, allowing bad actors to exploit the platform. The episode offers an in depth look at the challenges of marketplace fraud, contrasting approaches by Walmart, Amazon, and Target.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone in e-commerce, offering valuable lessons on balancing growth with trust and safety in online marketplaces.

Related Articles:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0237

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/19/walmart-marketplace-fakes-scams-investigation.html

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

Mentioned in this episode:

2023-q4-postroll sardine 1