Name: 15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting Conference
Start: 2026-06-17T08:30:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-18T16:30:00+01:00
Location: Richmond Building

Programme | Speakers | Sponsors | Location | Contact us

15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting Conference

17-18 June 2026
Richmond Building, ��Ƶ and online

The 15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting conference will be hosted by the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime at the ��Ƶ on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 June 2026.

This year's conference will welcome more than 70 international experts sharing research and real-world insight across a diverse programme that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary fraud, forensic accounting and cybercrime scholarship. Themed panels will explore:

Financial crime, illicit finance and forensic accounting
Fraud techniques, victimisation and harm
Cyber-enabled economic crime and global legal responses
Trafficking, exploitation and organised crime in digital contexts
AI-driven deception, risk management and emerging technologies
Language, communication and behavioural dimensions of fraud
Extremism, radicalisation and online harms

Together, these sessions offer an opportunity to exchange insight, explore innovative approaches share practical research relevant to academics, practitioners and policymakers working across cybercrime, economic crime and forensic accounting.

A selection of the keynote speeches and plenary sessions will be streamed free of charge.

Speakers

Key speakers will include:

Professor Jason Sharman, Professor of International Relations, University of Cambridge
Professor Yaniv Hanoch, University of Wolverhampton
Professor Michele Patricia Akiobe Songolo, Université Laval
Andrei Skorobogatov, Global Anti-Scam Alliance
Gareth Mott, RUSI (Royal United Services Institute)
Simon Miller, Cifas
Graham Clemence, Alibaba
Professor Nicholas Lord and Dr Diana Bociga, University of Manchester
John Evans, Cyber Policy Unit, Home Office

For any questions or guidance about the conference, please contact us.

Join the conversation: #UOP_CCEC and #UoP_CCEC_CONF26

Conference programme (subject to change)

Wednesday 17 June: 8.30am - 7.00pm

8.30am - Registration in the Richmond Atrium

9.30am - Opening Address by Professor Lisa Jack (LT1/Online)

Andrei Skorobogatov, Global Anti Scam Alliance. Fraud: The Current International Policy Landscape.
Simon Miller, Cifas. Tackling Fraud: A Local to Global Approach.
Professor Yaniv Hanoch, University of Wolverhampton. Reducing Fraud Benefit Claims: The Role of Deterrence Theory and AI.
Dr Diana Bociga and Professor Nicholas Lord, University of Manchester. Understanding counter fraud in the National Health Service in England: the role of the Local Counter Fraud Specialists. (Co-author: Katie Benson).

11.15am - Coffee and Networking

11.45am - Parallel Speaker Sessions

AI-Driven Deception and Fraud: Chaired by Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos (LT1/Online)

Professor Anna Nesvijevskaia and Pierre Guillod, Haute école de gestion de Genève, Switzerland. Multi-Agent Detection Against Cyberfraud Using Multimodal Lures.
Liberty T. Magwizi, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. The Synthetic Supply Chain: An Emerging Fraud Paradigm Exploiting Generative AI and Deepfake Technology.
Kristýna Mičáková, Masaryk University, Czech Republic. AI-Enabled Financial Fraud and Deepfake Technologies: Emerging Threats, Detection Challenges, and Implications for Counter-Fraud Practice. (Co-authors: Karpjáková, A., Kasl, F., Loutocký, O., Stupka, V.)

Online Exploitation and Harm: Chaired by Dr Jacki Tapley (LT2)

Dr Yushawu Abubakari, University of Ostrave, Czech Republic. Romance Fraud as an Emerging Cyber Threat in the Czech Republic: Evidence, Gaps and Direction.
Dr Ashley Perry and Dr Anna Markovska, Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Global Conflict and Online Harm: Examining CSAM Forum Narratives Surrounding Ukraine. (Co-authors: Lundrigan, S., Smith, C.)
Dr Cristina Izura, Swansea University, UK. Is Online Grooming Deceptive? Linguistic Markers of Deception in Grooming Discourse.
Dr Chinelo Aroh, Canterbury Christchurch University. Stolen in the Shadows: Cybercrime and the Erosion of Intellectual Property Rights.

Forensic Approaches to Financial Crime: Chaired by Dr Mo Adda (LT3)

Bharat Jeswani, Bharat Jeswani Consulting. The Future of Investigations: How AI, Analytics and Digital Forensics Are Redefining Financial Crime Enforcement.
Facundo Martearena Correas, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Unmasking the Architecture of the Sinaloa Cartel: Forensic Evidence vs. the Presumption of Innocence in Money Laundering Investigations.
Dr Jonathan Lancelot and Belinda I Onyeashie, University of the West of England, UK. Forensic Approaches to Identifying Monero-to-Fiat Conversion Activity.
Thea Sogenbits, Estonian Tax and Customs Board. Artificial Intelligence, Accountability, and Economic Crime: Governance Failures as Investigative Risk.

Understanding Investment and Property Frauds: Chaired by Dr Bing Han (2.02)

Dr Hala Faisal, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Saudi Arabia. Ponzi and High-Yield Investment Fraud in the GCC: Economic Drivers, Market Incentives, and Regulatory Gaps.
Prof Delano Cole van der Linde, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Ponzi and Multiplication Schemes in South Africa: A Critical Discussion of Gadiah and Another v National Director of Public Prosecutions 2025 (1) SACR 81 (KZD).
Aleksandra Naganska, University of Warsaw, Poland. Chasing the Dream of Effortless Wealth: How Financial Scarcity Affects Intentions to Respond to Investment Scams. (Co-authors: Gummerum, M., Hanoch, Y.)
Evidence Chitsinde, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. Blockchain Technology (BT) as a Panacea to Fraudulent Property Sales Caused by Title Deeds Manipulation in Developing Countries: Zimbabwe Perspectives.

1.15pm - Lunch and Networking

2.15pm - Parallel Speaker Sessions

Understanding West African Fraud and Cybercrime: Chaired by Professor Mark Button (LT1/Online)

Chukwuma K. Orji and Bello Rukayyah Bashir Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria. Understanding the Crime Grid of Nigeria Yahoo Boys.
Dr Suleman Lazarus, UK. Hustle Kingdoms and the Economic Geography of Cybercrime Academies.
Dr Biola Shotunde, Elizabeth Oyeneyin, Amina Babagana and Ibrahim Musa Jalo, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. Emerging Fraud Typologies in Nigeria's Digital Economy.
Cristina Cretu-Adatte, Haute école de gestion Arc, Switzerland. Behind Online Fraud: The Organisational Structure and Money Laundering Strategies of Côte d'Ivoire's Brouteurs.

Investigating and Preventing Financial Fraud: Chaired by Dr Branislav Hock (LT2)

Dr Amber Phillips, University of the West of England, UK. The Monopoly Squad: Exploring Motivation and Challenge in Financial Investigation.
Dr Fang Ma, ��Ƶ, UK. The "failure to prevent fraud" corporate offence in the UK: Risks and Challenges for Corporate Groups and Overseas Companies.
Rumbidzai Nomusa Maturure and Evidence Chitsinde, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. Digital Consent and Deception: A Forensic Analysis of Emerging Fraud Schemes in Zimbabwe's Mobile Money Ecosystem. (Co-author: Chuma, E.)

Financial Transparency and Illicit Finance Controls: Chaired by Professor Athina Karatzogianni (LT3)

Marina Aristodemou, Cardiff University, UK. The 'Trump Effect' and Deregulation: The Case of Beneficial Ownership and Corporate Transparency.
Dr Monika Baronak-Atkins, University of Greenwich, UK. Unexplained Wealth Orders.
Dr Oleksiy Feshchenko, Dr Tetiana Dmytrenko and Mykhailo Tiutin, Ukrainian Modern Digital Science, Ukraine. The Crypto-Web of Power: The History of the A7A5 Stablecoin.

Trafficking in a Digital Age: Chaired by Dr Bing Han (2.02)

Session A:

Mina Chiang, Humanity Research Consultancy, UK. Taiwanese Court Judgements: Empirical Insights into Scam Compounds and Transnational Fraud.
Dr Hai Thanh Luong, Griffith University, Australia. Identifying and Understanding the Policing Challenges to Respond to the Simple Job, High Salary Traps in the Mainland Southeast Asia Region.

Session B:

Saman Omar, Duhok University, Iraq; Universiti Utara, Malaysia. Examining the Role of AI-Driven Security Policy in Countering Cyber Terrorism in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Mia Barrett and Soraya Harding. ��Ƶ. Education and Radicalisation: How Terrorist Groups in Burkina Faso Exploit School Disruptions for Youth Recruitment.

3.45pm - Coffee and Networking

4.15pm - Parallel Speaker Sessions

Exploring Fraud and Cybercrime Offending: Chaired by Dr Mo Adda (LT1/Online)

Katarina Pranjic, Lexis Nexis, UK. The Network Knows: What 116 Billion Transactions Tell Us About Evolving Cyber-Enabled Crime Threats.
Dr Peter Tickner, ��Ƶ, UK. From Differential Association Through Every Variant of the Fraud Triangle to the Corporate Psychopath: A Sorry Tale of the Myriad Failures of Motivational Theory to Provide a Comprehensive Framework to Explain Why Fraudsters Commit Frauds.
Chris Freeman, ��Ƶ, UK. An Ontological Framework for Understanding Fraud.
Rebecca Taylor, Sophos, UK. Hidden Figures: Women in Cybercrime.

Detecting and Preventing Cyber-Enabled Economic Crime - Data, AI and Emerging Threats: Chaired by Professor Mark Button (LT2)

Peter Griffin, AVIEL Intelligence, UK. Honeypots and Hustlers.
Dr Eduardo J.B. Rodrigues, Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) and National Agency of Telecommunications (Anatel), Brazil. Federated Learning for Cybersecurity: Detecting False Base Stations in Brazilian Metropolitan 5G Networks.
Dr Sungmi Park and Jee-Won Park, Hallym University, South Korea. VishBox: An Agent-Based Simulation Framework for Voice Phishing Scenarios. (Co-authors: Yang, Y., Choi, D., Hong, Y., Yu, J-Y,, Kim, H-D.)
Prof. Dr. Eike Fesedeldt, Federal University of Applied Administrative Services, Germany. From Non-Targeted Audits to Data Intelligence: How AI Can Transform Fraud Detection in Social Security System.

Approaches to Tackling Economic and Financial Crime: Chaired by Dr Branislav Hock (LT3)

Laura Eshelby, Clue Software and Mike Betts, Public Sector Fraud Authority, UK. Beyond the Five Eyes: Exploring Ways to Counter Fraud.
Dr Branislav Hock, ��Ƶ, UK. Pseudo-Policing: Symbolic Compliance and Economic Crime.
Dr Rustam Mirrakhimov, Cardiff University, UK. Transmission-Based Deterrence: A Structural Theory.
Muhammad Umar Draz Randhawa, National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan. From Uncertainty to Regulation: Harnessing Blockchain in Pakistan.

Poster Presenter Speed Presentations: Chaired by Soraya Harding (2.02)

Ali Abbawi
Hazar Almohammadi
Priscilla Muhita
Nicholas Elliott
Maryna Murlian
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Phillips Bature
Osama Khalid Mahmoud
Stephanie Habak
Elizabeth Adeoye
Paula Titei
Gülce Ecem Uçar
Dr Funminiyi Olajide
David Mchembere

5.45pm - Reception hosted in the Richmond Atrium

Thursday 18 June: 8.30am - 4.30pm

8.30am - Registration in the Richmond Atrium

9.00am - Keynote session: Chaired by Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos (LT1/Online)

John Evans, Cyber Policy Unit, Home Office, UK. The UK's Response to Cybercrime.
Professor Michele Patricia Akiobe Songolo. Université Laval, Canada. Public-Private Partnerships and the Governance of Digital Disinformation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
Keynote Speaker: Professor Jason Sharman, University of Cambridge, UK. Non-State Actors in Combatting Cross-Border Financial Crime.

10.30am - Coffee and Networking

11.00am - Parallel Speaker Sessions

AI, Cybercrime and Risk Management: Chaired by Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos (LT1/Online)

Onur Korucu, DataRep, Ireland. The Innovation-Ethics Paradox: Can AI Be Bothy Bold and Repsonsible?
Samuel DeCruz, aDvens, France. Evolution of the Criminal Use of Artificial Intelligence by the North Korean Cyber-Army: An Open Source Intelligence Exploration.
Pia Puolakka, MindTech, Finland. Smart Prisons, Digital Rehabilitation and the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Corrections.
Neil Tyson, Rightway Compliance. The Liar's Dividend: Reassessing Fraud Controls, Evidence Integrity, and Digital Literacy in the AI Era.

Global Responses to Cybercrime and Economic Crime: Chaired by Dr John Akerele (LT2)

Samuel Famolu, (Independent Researcher). Resilience Under Pressure: Cyber Conflict, Geopolitics, and the Securitisation of EU Payment Regulation.
Hamma'Adama Bello and Cyril Chide Nweke, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria. Cross-Border Responses to Fraud, Cybercrime, and Economic Crime: A Comparative Global Legal and Policy Analysis.
Diana Cheurfa, University Jean Monnet, France. Legal Professional Privilege in AML/CFT Matters: Between Prevention, Repression and Fundamental Guarantees.
Dr João Araújo Marques, European Public Prosecutor's Office. Mind the GAP: From the Experience of Article 31 into a Strategic Architecture for Tackling Transnational VAT Fraud.

Fraud Victimisation and Harm: Chaired by Dr Jacki Tapley (LT3)

Dr Yutaka Yoshida, Cardiff University, UK. Surviving Fraud: Meaning-Making and Identity After Fraud Victimisation.
Dr Kate Gould, Monash University, Australia. Do the Experiences of Cyberscam Victim-Survivors With and Without Acquired Brain Injury Differ? A Qualitative Comparison Study. (Co-authors: Cazanis, A., Carminati, J-Y., Chew, K.A., Cross, C., Ponsford, J.)
Professor Birgit Jaeger and Professor Birgitte Poulsen, Roskilde University, Denmark. Beyond Financial Loss: Emotional and Social Impacts of Contact-Fraud on Older Danes.

Online Scams and Language: Chaired by Professor Athina Karatzogianni (2.02)

Prof. Olivier Beaudet-Labrecque, Haute école Arc, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Artificial Seduction: The Use of LLMs by Fraudsters in Romance Fraud.
Saher Sidhom and Dr Dmytro Karamshuk, Hackmasters, UK. Vibe Scamming: The Growing Threat of AI-Generated Phishing and Scam Websites.
Ashleigh Russell, South Yorkshire Police, UK. Rise of the Scamvertiser: The Language of Finfluencer Cryptocurrency Scams.
Leslie Boyce, Economic Crime Investigator and Dr Iain Reid, ��Ƶ, UK. Sponsored Advertisements: A Study Into Subscription Traps and the Authorisation Paradox.

12.30pm - Lunch

1.15pm - Panel Sessions

Marsden Cyber Security Panel - What Can Academia Learn from Civil Society to Protect and Support Online Researchers?: Chaired by Professor Lisa Sugiura (LT1/Online)

Jacob Davey, Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Katie Short, ��Ƶ.
Dr Stu Lucy, ��Ƶ.

Hacktivism: Current and Future Trends and Challenges: Chaired by Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos (LT2)

Professor Athina Karatzogianni, University of Leicester, UK.
Ben Gibney, Northwave.
Onatkut Varis, Deloitte, Ireland.

The Cost of Fraud: Chaired by Samantha Corio (LT3)

Ross Watkins, Home Office, UK.
Professor Mark Button, ��Ƶ, UK.
Panellist to be confirmed.

2.15pm - Coffee and Networking

2.45pm - Keynote session: Chaired by Professor Mark Button (LT1/Online)

Dr Gareth Mott, RUSI, UK. Deputising UK Counter-Crime Operations.
Graham Clemence, Alibaba. Building Bridges in IP Enforcement: Collaborating for Stronger Protection.
Professor Nicholas Ryder, Cardiff University and Dr Samantha Mapston, University of the West of England, UK. Money Mules and Law Enforcement: An Alternative Perspective?

4.15pm - Closing remarks and award for best poster: Chaired by Professor Mark Button and Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos

4.30pm - Conference close

Poster presentations (available throughout the conference).

Please support our poster presenters by visiting the poster displays and chatting to them about their research.

Ali Abbawi, Bangor University, UK. Strengthening the Iraqi Penal Code No 111 of 1969 to Combat Cryptocurrency Fraud.
Hazar Almohammadi, SOAS University of London, UK; Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. From Simulated Fraud Cases to Investigative Judgement: Evidence from Forensic Accounting Education in Saudi Arabia.
Priscilla Muhita, ��Ƶ, UK. Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Lowering of Skill Barriers in Cyber-Enabled Fraud.
Nicholas Elliott, ��Ƶ, UK. The Psychology and Criminology Nexus: Psychological Factors as Predictors of Fraud Victimisation in Young People.
Maryna Murlian, ��Ƶ, UK. State Capture Under Martial Law: A Criminological Analysis of Elite Networks in Ukraine.
��&�Բ��;��č��Ǳ�á, Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Challenging Traditional Criminal Conduct: Automation, AI, and the Actus Reus of Cybercrime.
Philips Bature, Coventry University. Strengthening Legal and Institutional Frameworks: Through Artificial Intelligence to Combat the Challenges of Trade Based Money Laundering in Nigeria.
Osama Khaled Mahmoud, Palestine Institute for National Security Research, Palestine. Exploiting Artificial Intelligence and Encrypted Applications to Develop the Digital and Technical Capabilities of Terrorist Groups: A Vision in the Security and Strategic Dimensions.
Stephanie Habak, University of Sydney. Scam Compliance and Non-Sexual Grooming: A Study of the Warning Signs.
Elizabeth Adeoye, ��Ƶ, UK. A Critical Review of How the Digital/Faceless Environment Can Increase Risk and Exploitation among Vulnerable Women.
Paula Titei, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Germany. How do armed conflicts transform cybercrime dynamics and cybersecurity resilience?
Gülce Ecem Uçar, Ankara University, Türkiye. AI-Driven Risk Scoring and the Juridical Crisis of Materiality: The Case of the Turkish CBS Project.
Dr Funminiyi Olajide, Penn State University, USA. Embedding Digital Forensic Readiness into Educational Governance: A Proactive Audit Framework for Institutional Cybercrime Preparedness.
David Mchembere, University of East Anglia. Politically exposed person boards & occupational fraud risks insights from SOEs board in Kenya.

Location

The conference will take place at the University's Richmond Building. A number of local hotels are offering discounts to conference attendees. Please contact us for further information.

Richmond Building
Portland St
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PO1 3DE

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