Fraud and Financial Crime Professionals to Know 2025

I am a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and the founder of Forenziq, a forensic accounting firm focused on fraud investigations and financial analysis. I help businesses and legal professionals identify financial misconduct, quantify losses, and uncover the truth behind complex financial matters.

For 14 years, The Daily Scam has been dedicated to exposing online/phone fraud and educating the public how to recognize it, and reduce their risks from it! Our work has been featured in many articles and news websites, including Wired.com, NBC, NECN and WGBH. Doug Fodeman, the Co-Founder and Content Director for TheDailyScam.com, was also a featured expert in 8 of 10 episodes of a 2024 UK Docu Series called "A Perfect Scam" (available on Britbox & UK Apple TV. e.g. Season 1, Episode 5: Indiana - Murder for Hire) Our work has also helped provide the FBI with evidence of fraud related to a sextortion scam. During our 14 years, the team at TDS has helped tens of thousands of people avoid fraud, recover from fraud, stop fraud that targeted them. (However, we are not a "fund recovery" service in any way for victims who have lost money to fraud.) Besides dozens of articles about online/phone fraud on TheDailyScam.com, we offer lots of excellent tips and strategies for staying safe, reducing your risks and better protecting yourself and your family.

Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA, is a nationally recognized federal prison expert. He serves as Managing Director at Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C. and Zoukis Consulting Group, where his federal criminal defense practice focuses on federal appeals, post-conviction relief, compassionate release, clemency, and Bureau of Prisons policy matters. Mr. Zoukis is the author of six books on federal criminal defense and prison policy, including The Habeas Citebook: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel (Prison Legal News Publishing, 3rd ed. forthcoming 2025), Federal Criminal Defendant’s Handbook (Middle Street Publishing, forthcoming 2025), Directory of Federal Prisons (2020), Federal Prison Handbook (2017), Prison Education Guide (2017), and College for Convicts (2014). His Federal Prison Handbook received numerous awards, including the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal, the Next Generation Indie Book Award, and the Chanticleer Book Awards Instructional & Insightful Nonfiction Award. College for Convicts received the Eric Hoffer Book Award’s Montaigne Medal for the most thought-provoking book of the year. Mr. Zoukis earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where he served as Articles Editor of the UC Davis Law Review and received both the Witkin Award and Reynoso Award for Academic Excellence. He also holds an MBA and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Adams State University. Major media outlets regularly seek his expertise. He has been quoted in CNN, Fox News, ABC News, Associated Press, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg Law, and Vice News, among others. He has contributed articles to the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Prison Legal News, and Criminal Legal News. Mr. Zoukis’s Prison Law Blog was named a Top Law Blawg by the American Bar Association, and he was a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Award. He has assisted hundreds of clients with federal prison preparation, in-prison advocacy, and reentry matters, and is considered a leading voice on federal prison policy nationwide. Learn more about Chris at https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about/christopher-zoukis-federal-prison-consultant/

Mark Winter is a seasoned art certification expert, fine art appraiser, and expert witness, with over two decades of experience in the global art market. A former associate at Sotheby’s.com and a senior specialist at Art Authentication Experts, Inc. Since 2003, he has worked on cases spanning authentication, attribution, appraisal, and the investigation of forgery, theft, and rediscovery. Mark and his team regularly collaborate with journalists and media across print, digital, radio, and film, providing expert insight into art authentication, attribution, and market trends. Their commentary has been featured in investigative reports, documentaries, news segments, and podcasts worldwide. Offering rapid fact verification (often within 24–48 hours) and multilingual interviews in 21 languages, Mark supports timely stories with accuracy and depth.

James is a CPA, IRS Enrolled Agent, and Tax Resolution Specialist at CanvaTax (canvatax.com), where he helps individuals and businesses resolve complex tax issues including IRS debt, back taxes, and penalty relief through programs like the IRS Fresh Start Initiative. With hands-on experience navigating IRS negotiations and tax compliance, James provides practical, results-driven guidance to clients facing financial uncertainty.

I have 24 years of experience in the credit counseling industry, specializing in operations, compliance, debt management, and consumer financial education. As Senior Manager of Compliance and Media at Money Fit, I ensure our programs meet strict standards for integrity, accuracy, and regulatory compliance. I am a HUD Certified Housing Counselor and serve on the Board of Directors for the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA). My work focuses entirely on nonprofit credit counseling. I help consumers understand the clear mechanics of regulated debt management versus the risks tied to for-profit debt settlement. Consumers deserve straightforward financial guidance that is realistic, responsible, and built for actual progress.

Chris Hadnagy is the Founder and CEO of Social-Engineer, LLC. During Chris’ 20+ years in information security, he created the world’s first social engineering framework and newsletter. He has also hosted the first social engineering-based podcast. Chris is the Founder, Executive Director, and Board Member, for the Innocent Lives Foundation, a nonprofit organization that identifies anonymous child predators and helps bring them to justice. Having written five books on social engineering, Chris is also a well-known author. His most recent book, “Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You,” was released January 5, 2021. Chris leads the way in educating people about social engineering. He created the world’s first Social Engineering Capture the Flag (SECTF) to raise awareness of this serious threat. Chris is also an Adjunct Professor of Social Engineering for the University of Arizona’s NSA designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). And he also lectures and teaches about social engineering around the globe. Moreover, he was invited to speak at the Pentagon and other high-security facilities. Chris works with some of the world’s leaders in scientific research for the purpose of acquiring a deeper understanding of social engineering. Notably, Chris authored a book with Dr. Paul Ekman regarding the use of nonverbal communication by social engineers. Chris is certified as an Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), as well as an Offensive Security Wireless Professional (OSWP). He is also the creator of the Social Engineering Pentest Professional (SEPP), Certified Ethical Social Engineer (CESE), and Master’s Level Social Engineering (MLSE), certifications. “Understanding the ways humans make decisions is integral in everything we do from maintaining security to communicating with the people in your life. Social engineering skills, when used properly, can make your life so much better.” – Chris Hadnagy Chris’ published books include: Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious E-mails Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking 2nd Edition Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You

I am an Expert Witness, CPA, and Certified Fraud Examiner with over 20 years experience as a fraud investigator and forensic accountant. I have testified at bench trials, and presented findings at mediations, and ADR hearings, My practice focuses on fraud, embezzlement, income and asset tracing, fiduciary misconduct,and elder financial abuse investigations. I prepare Fiduciary Accountings, and create financial reconstructions for tax issues and loan compliance. I am the past Chairperson of the Sonoma County Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST) and a past member of the Napa County FAST.

I'm the founder of Scannerfy.com, a free AI image and deepfake detection tool that analyzes images in under 5 seconds with 95% accuracy. I help individuals, journalists, and businesses verify whether images are AI-generated or real from Midjourney to DALL-E 3 and Stable Diffusion.

As the CEO and Founder of Crusaders for Change® (C4C), LLC, our team delivers a specialized approach to financial stewardship that focuses on the human heart and the emotional weight of money as much as the numbers. Led by a team of Accredited Financial Counselors®️, we have built a dedicated space where genuine financial healing and long-term freedom are achievable for families from all walks of life. Within the corporate and organizational sector, we developed our signature Financial Wellness Program to directly combat the "silent tax" of financial stress that often plagues the workplace. By addressing these stressors through professional counseling and support, we partner with businesses to improve employee retention, boost productivity, and foster a culture of total well-being. Our commitment to community impact is further realized through our proprietary Community Financial Empowerment Series®, where we offer transformative educational workshops and personalized one-on-one counseling designed to help individuals regain confidence, clarity, and control over their financial futures. We also engage a global audience through the Yahweh’s Money® Podcast, which provides spiritual and practical stewardship guidance, and the Tickle My Money Bone!® platform, which utilizes humor and comedy to demystify complex financial topics and break down the barriers of money-related anxiety. With over two decades of professional experience and a highly decorated history of leadership, our mission remains centered on equipping families and organizations with the tools to transition from financial overwhelm to a future of abundance, resilience, and intentional peace.

Investment industry veteran that cofounded a tech startup to help seniors avoid elder fraud. 30 years experience in the investment and insurance business. Experience over a range of asset classes with deep experience in derivatives and risk management. Early adapter of derivatives in insurance portfolios and mutual funds. Built out independent risk organization at two firms. Experienced Chief Risk Officer(CRO) for US and UCITs funds. Demonstrated commercial instinct. Experience with: Investments Product and Strategy Risk Market Risk and Investment Risk Risk Management of UCITS Derivatives, Futures, Options, Swap Silver tech

Ray Johnson is a retired FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, attorney, and educator whose career spans the courtroom, the classroom, and the command post. Over nearly 30 years in state and federal law enforcement, he has led complex criminal investigations, commanded SWAT operations, overseen national shooting‑incident reviews, and managed critical incidents and mass‑casualty events across the United States. Johnson is a veteran member of the Southern Nevada law enforcement community, with deep senior‑level experience coordinating federal, state, and local responses to both crises and major planned events. He has delivered high‑impact training on active shooter behavior, ethics, and leadership to thousands of public‑safety leaders and is frequently called in after major incidents to help agencies navigate culture, accountability, and public trust. As Division Counsel in multiple FBI field offices, Johnson provided legal oversight on investigations, ethics, and compliance and helped shape the FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide. Internationally, he has mediated between Ukrainian anti‑corruption agencies and advised on governance and rule‑of‑law issues during Operation Enduring Freedom, earning recognition from the U.S. Ambassador for advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. Now an adjunct faculty member at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, he focuses on how law, leadership, and policy perform under real‑world pressure. His research and writing center on use of force, investigative accountability, organizational ethics, and the intersection of policing, immigration, and civil rights. He regularly helps journalists and the public make sense of complex law‑enforcement issues. He is coauthoring two forthcoming Criminal Investigation and Criminology texts as well as a companion leadership playbook for front‑line leaders working in high‑pressure, high‑visibility environments. Johnson’s honors include multiple high‑level executive leadership awards from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as recognition from U.S. diplomatic leadership for international anti‑corruption work. He continues to consult with courts, law‑enforcement agencies, and organizations on use of force, crisis leadership, and organizational culture under scrutiny.

Franco Velasquez is the CEO and founder of HostBreach, a cybersecurity advisory firm specializing in external cyber intelligence, attack surface analysis, and intelligence-driven advisory for defense contractors and regulated organizations. His work focuses on understanding how attackers identify, prioritize, and compromise targets using publicly available intelligence, often before traditional security controls detect activity. Franco advises organizations on CMMC readiness, CUI exposure, ransomware risk, and pre-incident threat visibility, helping leaders understand real-world risk beyond checklist compliance. He has experience working with OSINT-based reconnaissance, threat actor behavior analysis, and tabletop attack simulations aligned to observed intrusion patterns. He is frequently consulted on topics including ransomware trends, external exposure management, supply chain risk, and how attackers exploit misconfigurations and unpatched systems. Franco emphasizes practical, intelligence-led decision-making that helps organizations reduce risk before incidents occur.

John Mitchel is the founder of BANKIS, a long-standing provider of novelty financial documents used in training, education, compliance simulations and AML awareness. His work focuses on helping legal, financial and onboarding teams understand how simulated bank statements are used to teach document red-flag detection without exposing real customer data. John has contributed insights to AML educators, conveyancing fraud trainers, and digital-risk researchers, and has developed educational material explaining how fake financial documents appear in real-world fraud scenarios. He is regularly consulted on document-formatting behaviours, template inconsistencies, and the evolution of financial forgery patterns relevant to compliance training.

Payments expert. Previously worked for a multinational payments consultancy but in 2025 left to form new firm focussing on UK merchants. Wide understanding of payments in US, UK and Europe - from a commercial (i.e. not technical) aspect. Costs, interchange fees, scheme fees, acquiring/processing fees, market trends. Have previously contributed to building a business which had a nine-figure PE investment.

I am litigator, whistleblower attorney, and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). My practice focuses on cases involving healthcare fraud, financial fraud, anti-money laundering (Bank Secrecy Act) failures, and sanctions violations. While based in Philadelphia, my practice is national in scope.

William Berg is a securities expert at DayTrading.com with more than 20 years of experience reviewing brokers, trading platforms and the rules that sit behind them. With a legal and financial background, he has audited countless brokers and investigated thousands of trading scams and clone firms, giving him a sharp eye for what separates a trustworthy platform from a costly mistake. William holds an LL.M. from the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law, where he focused on securities law and international trade. He later studied at Moscow State University, adding to a background that blends law, business administration and cross border finance. That mix gives him a solid grip on both the legal fine print and the real world mechanics of online trading. Before and alongside his editorial work, William consulted on IPOs in the Nordic market, worked with fintech startups in payments and point of sale systems, and provided localization for leading forex trading software. He has also spent years as a writer and fact checker for financial publications, using that experience to test brokers, compare trading tools and explain complicated topics without turning them into legal soup. As an active market participant, William has placed thousands of private and test trades across forex, CFDs, options and stocks, while testing different trading platforms and apps. His practical experience, paired with a deep knowledge of securities law and broker regulation, makes him well placed to comment on broker safety, platform quality, trading risks and the standards traders should expect before putting money on the line.

Shwetha Babu Prasad is a data security and privacy professional, speaker, and published author with nearly a decade of experience in information security. Her work focuses on advancing practical, engineering-driven approaches to protect sensitive data and reduce systemic data exposure risks. She has experience implementing data protection controls across enterprise systems to mitigate the risk of sensitive data exposure. She is the author of Why Websites Fail at Data Protection and Privacy and Data Security in the Age of AI. An active member of ISC2 and the Information Systems Security Association, she contributes to industry initiatives aligned with National Institute of Standards and Technology frameworks through the ISSA Resilience Special Interest Group. Her work advances practical, engineering driven data protection and privacy capabilities, strengthening cyber resilience across enterprise and critical infrastructure environments.

Chris Berg – Expert in Law Enforcement, Undercover Operations, and Crime Fiction Chris Berg is a retired police detective and award-winning author, offering expert insights into crime and policing, drawn from over two decades of law enforcement experience. A third-generation lawman, Chris began his career in 1977 in the Bay Area and quickly advanced to detective grade. He excelled in vice and intelligence, ultimately finding his niche as an undercover narcotics detective. Chris thrived conducting hand-to-hand drug buys, investigating clandestine labs, and adopting the necessary undercover personas. Later, he became a narcotics field training officer and served as a court-certified expert witness in narcotics investigations. After an injury, Chris pivoted to a corporate career, operating across the globe with key engagements in India, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, etc, and often associations with MI5, MI6, and most of the US alphabet agencies. Currently, Chris co-authors the acclaimed Night Police series with Paul James Smith. The series has earned both a Claymore Award and Page Turner Award finalist recognition, with his authentic crime thrillers inspired by real events. Contact Chris via nightpolice.com or +1 408-564-9994 for expert commentary on policing, undercover work, or crime fiction.

I'm a specialist commercial finance broker with 16 years of experience helping Australian business owners access commercial property finance. As founder of Smart Business Plans, I've overseen $550 million in commercial finance across more than 3,300 clients, with a 92% approval rate working across a panel of 60+ specialist lenders. My expertise sits at the intersection of commercial property, business finance, and wealth strategy — particularly for small to medium business owners looking to buy their own premises, invest through their SMSF, or fund development projects. I work exclusively in the commercial space, which means I specialise where the major banks often can't or won't go. I'm also the author of The Premise Effect (2026), which makes the case for why Australian business owners are leaving millions on the table by renting rather than owning their business premises. I'm available to comment on: commercial property finance, SMSF borrowing, business lending, commercial mortgage rates, Australian property market trends, and small business wealth building.