IAFCI Presents... The Protectors

The holiday season is always a special time of year but also a time when busy people become careless and vulnerable to theft and other holiday crime. We can never be too careful, too prepared, or too aware.  On today's show, Mike and Mark welcome an expert on the subject, Scott Warren.  Scott is the acting Supervisor in charge of Investigations at the Oak Brook, Illinois Police Department.  He has been with the Investigations Division since 2017 and previously served as a detective from 2008 to 2012.  Scott has also been a board member of the Cook County Retail Organized Crime Task Force as lead investigator on cases involving identity theft and credit card fraud. 

'Tis the season for holiday theft.  From the minute you arrive till the second you leave the stores, Scott covers it all in our podcast. Educate yourself with Scott's essential tips and strategies to ensure a safe and happy holiday shopping experience.  Don't become a victim this Christmas!

https://www.protectorspodcast.com/episode/felony-lane-gang-is-coming-to-your-town  

https://www.linkedin.com/company/iafci-presents-the-protectors-podcast/

Scott Warren LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-warren-746a698a/

Oak Brook Police Acting Supervisor (Investigations) Scott Warren: [email protected]

Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis: [email protected]

Oak Brook Police Deputy Chief Reid Foltyniewicz: [email protected]

Oak Brook Police Deputy Chief Mark King: [email protected]

Oak Brook Police Sgt Jason Wood: [email protected]

IAFCI Presents…The Protectors Podcast Celebrates its 30th episode by honoring the life of NYFD Fireman Stephen Siller and so many others who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11/2001.

Mike and Mark welcome to the show Stephen’s brother, Frank Siller, who started Tunnel To Towers Foundation (T2T.org) to honor his brother and others.  Over the past 21 years, Frank has helped thousands of first responders, military personnel, and their families who heroically gave of themselves to keep us safe. 

As this is released on the eve of Thanksgiving, let us “Never Forget” our heroes.  This episode has touched our hearts, and we hope it inspires everyone who listens to be thankful and to graciously support T2T, our first responders, and the military. 

Local police departments all over the country are alerting residents of a rise in "ruse burglaries."  These burglaries can occur anywhere and often end in significant losses for the unwary homeowner. On today's episode of The Protectors, Mike and Mark welcome Detective Jose Mendez of the Skokie, IL Police Department.  Detective Mendez is a 23-year veteran and is a member of the Major Crimes Task Force specializing in burglary patterns and offenders. Detective Mendez offers his expertise on the rising trend known as the ruse burglary.  He explains what it is, the different forms the ruse burglary can take, and what you need to know to protect yourself, your family, and your neighbors.  Enjoy our podcast and pass the knowledge on to others to help prevent this devastating crime.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/iafci-presents-the-protectors-podcast/

Jose Mendez Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jose-mendez-a754024b

www.linkedin.com/in/marcevanslv

Today we go live to the 2022 IAFCI Conference in Baltimore where Mark and Mike welcome back April DeValkenaere.  April is the owner and founder of Fortress Financial Education, LLC whose focus is helping clients who have fallen victim to power-of-attorney theft, elder fraud, and other white-collar crimes.  Fortress also aids law enforcement in the investigation processes of these crimes in their effort to prosecute these criminals. April stresses the importance of prevention through education - teaching people actionable steps they can take, both in the short term and long term, to be able to advocate for themselves on how to protect their current and future finances.  April is also the President of the Wisconsin local chapter of the IAFCI, and today she visits The Protectors for a second time to share her knowledge and experience in an effort to help YOU protect and preserve your own "personal fortress."

https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-devalkenaere-sbwcp-cfci-759334a5

https://protectyourfortress.com/

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/managing-someone-elses-money/

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2018/09/managing-someone-elses-money-new-protection-id-theft-and-fraud

If you think that human trafficking cannot, or is not occurring in your communities, then this is the podcast you need to hear. From sex trafficking to labor trafficking, the evil of human trafficking is embedded in our communities both large and small. You may think it operates in darkness and secrecy, but chances are, many of you may encounter offenders and victims of these crimes on a regular basis.  And your conceptions of who they are and how they appear may significantly change after listening to this podcast.  

Mark and Mike recorded this Live from the 2022 IAFCI Conference in National Harbor, MD and were able to interview two leading experts in human trafficking investigations.

Detective Joe Scaramucci is with the McLennan County Sheriffs Dept. Since creating a Human Trafficking Unit in 2014, Detective Scaramucci has conducted sting operations resulting in the arrest of more than 550 sex buyers, and 150 individuals for human trafficking and related offenses, which le d to the identification of 260 trafficking victims.

Rochelle Keyhan is the CEO of Collective Liberty, whose mission is to eradicate human trafficking by collaborating across industries, agencies, and service providers to create radical, data-driven approaches that address, disrupt and put an end to all forms of trafficking.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-scaramucci-92ba24174

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

www.collectiveliberty.org

Our next episode was recorded live on location from the IAFCI's International Conference in National Harbor, MD. Host Mark Solomon sits down with Kate Kleinert, a survivor of a romance scam who became a national champion for awareness and justice. Together with experts Kathy Stokes and Paul Greenwood, the group discusses frauds, scams, and the incredible story of a survivor of a romance scam as told by the victim herself. Think it can't happen to you? So did Kate!

Paul Greenwood, President and CEO of Greenwood Law Corporation

Kathy Stokes, National Director of Fraud Prevention for AARP

Kate Kleinert, Scam victim; AARP Fraud Watch Volunteer and National Advocate

AARP.org/fraudsupport

AARP.org/fraudwatchnetwork

www.greenwoodlawcorp.com

https://www.gofundme.com/f/vgw3g-recovery-fund?qid=480d7f86badecc2d2f91428dec5ef5c5

Wouldn't it be great to know if someone was lying to you?  Well, that takes an expert, and on today's show, Mike and Mark welcome "The Human Lie Detector" - Dave Thompson.  Dave leads the evolution of investigative interviewing, conducting, and consulting on investigations ranging from theft and fraud to sexual harassment and homicide.  He has contributed expert opinions for a variety of cases and has provided consults on legislative propositions as well.  Dave customizes strategic interviewing training programs for federal, state, and local agencies around the world and continues to work towards furthering the enhancement of interview and interrogation protocols throughout the United States.  Listen as Dave shares his experience and expertise in the field of "Professional Lie Detection." 

https://www.facebook.com/identifythetruth/

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

https://www.youtube.com/user/wicklanderzulawski

Instagram: @WZ_Training

Twitter: @DThompsonWZ

When COVID-related shutdowns started wreaking havoc on businesses, jobs, and paychecks, the US Government came to the rescue, providing a financial life preserver worth trillions of dollars. However, as the money flowed to individual bank accounts in the form of Paycheck Protection Program loans and Labor Department-backed state unemployment checks, fraudsters, identity thieves, and cybercriminals were salivating at the chance to take it. Today, Mike and Mark welcome US Secret Service Agent Roy Dotson to the show.  Roy has been in law enforcement for over 30 years, 20 of which have been dedicated to the US Secret Service, protecting eight US Presidents.  He is an expert on cybercrime fraud, money laundering, and asset forfeiture, having led over 100 successful investigations and recovered over $4 billion in victim assets.  Roy currently serves as the US Secret Service’s National Pandemic Recovery Coordinator.

[email protected]

https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/cyber

https://servicetoamericamedals.org/honorees/?fwp_year=2022

If you were a victim of identity theft related to an SBA loan, go to this site to see the recommended reporting process: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/Identity%20Theft%20Letter%20for%20COVID-19%20EIDL-508.pdf

If you were a victim of identity theft related to Unemployment Insurance benefits, go to this site to see the recommended reporting process: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/unemployment-insurance-payment-accuracy/UIFraudReporting

Twitter: @SecretService 

Today we present another Special Edition of "The Protectors." Mike and Mark have the pleasure of speaking with Carlos Lang about ATM Skimming and Malware that is running rampant in the US and Internationally. Carlos has been a specialist in fraud prevention in financial institutions for over 25 years and is an analyst and developer of solutions to protect ATMs from skimmers, shimmers, malware, black boxes, and unauthorized access. In addition, Carlos has implemented complex e-Banking security projects that help diminish fraud in large financial institutions across the U.S. and Latin America by using multi-factor authentication. Listen to the expert as Carlos provides tips and advice to help protect yourself from this ever-evolving, billion-dollar crime wave.