A mixed group of speakers with microphones stand at the front of a large lecture beneath a huge projected slide which has includes the logos for the 15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting Conference, the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime, an image of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour, logos for sponsors Cifas, Alibaba, Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions and AVIEL Intelligence and the words "Grab a coffee, we'll start soon"

Global experts gather at Portsmouth to tackle emerging fraud and cybercrime threats

3 minutes

Conferences School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Technology Faculty of Business and Law Cyber Security and Forensics Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime

The University of Portsmouth welcomed researchers, practitioners and policymakers from around the world for the 15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting Conference, hosted by the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime (CCEC) on 17 and 18 June 2026. Hosted in the Richmond Building and online, the conference attracted over 300 attendees and welcomed more than 80 speakers from 20 countries spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania. Bringing together expertise from every inhabited continent, the event showcased cutting-edge research and practical insights into fraud, cybercrime, economic crime and forensic accounting, reinforcing its position as one of the leading international conferences in the field.

Delegates represented more than 75 organisations, including universities, law enforcement agencies, government departments, international bodies, private sector firms and non-profit organisations. This diverse mix of participants created valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange and partnership-building, reflecting the increasingly global and multidisciplinary response required to tackle fraud, cybercrime and economic crime in an interconnected world.

The programme featured keynote speakers from the University of Cambridge, Université Laval, the Home Office, RUSI, Alibaba, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Cifas, alongside leading academics and practitioners from around the world. Across two days, attendees explored a wide range of contemporary challenges, including financial crime and illicit finance, cyber-enabled economic crime, organised fraud, AI-enabled deception, online harms, extremism, human exploitation and the evolving role of technology in both offending and prevention.

Two men and a woman standing in front a sponsor exhibition table for AVIEL Intelligence engage in animated discussion.
A woman standing at the front of a lecture theatre gestures upwards to a presentation slide. A woman in red sits in the front row of the lecture theatre listening intently to the presentation.
A man and a woman, wearing conference lanyards, stand behind an exhibition table in a network area, in front of organisational banners for Cifas, in conversation with a delegate who leans across a table packed with brochures and other company literature
A man wearing a conference lanyard stands in front of dark background, gesturing towards an out of shot audience as he delivers his presentation

International Keynote Speakers

The conference featured an impressive line-up of keynote and plenary speakers. The opening plenary session brought together speakers from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Cifas, the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Manchester to discuss international fraud policy, fraud prevention, artificial intelligence and counter-fraud practice within the NHS.

On day two, delegates heard keynote presentations from Jonathan Dowdall of the Home Office Cyber Policy Unit, Professor Michele Patricia Akiobe Songolo (Université Laval) and Professor Jason Sharman (University of Cambridge), who explored topics including cybercrime policy, digital disinformation and the role of non-state actors in combating cross-border financial crime.

The conference concluded with a keynote session featuring Dr Gareth Mott (RUSI), Graham Clemence (Alibaba) and Professor Nicholas Ryder (Cardiff University) with Dr Samantha Mapston (University of the West of England), addressing counter-crime operations, intellectual property enforcement and law enforcement responses to money mule activity.

A man and a woman stand in front of a huge projector screen as they deliver their presentation. The slide on the screen discusses their research into NHS fraud.
A smiling woman converses with a man in a hat in the networking area of the conference

Diverse Programme Reflects Evolving Crime Landscape

A key strength of the conference was the breadth and diversity of its programme. Parallel sessions explored issues ranging from AI-driven fraud and deepfake technologies to cyber-enabled economic crime, financial investigations, online exploitation, fraud victimisation, illicit finance and contemporary extremism. Together, these contributions highlighted how emerging technologies, evolving criminal methodologies and changing geopolitical conditions are reshaping both the threats posed by fraud and cybercrime and the responses required to address them.

Research presented at the conference highlighted emerging threats posed by generative artificial intelligence, evolving cyber-enabled fraud techniques, the growing complexity of global financial crime networks, and the personal and societal harms experienced by fraud victims. The conference also featured expert panel discussions on supporting online researchers, current and future trends in hacktivism, and the societal and economic costs of fraud.
 

 

Supporting Early Career Researchers

As part of the conference programme, a dedicated poster session showcased research from doctoral researchers and early career scholars working across cybercrime, fraud, forensic accounting and cybersecurity. Posters remained on display throughout the conference, encouraging discussion and networking between presenters and delegates during breaks and social events.

The Best Poster Award was presented to Maryna Murlian (University of Portsmouth) for her poster, State Capture Under Martial Law: A Criminological Analysis of Elite Networks in Ukraine.

 

A man and a woman with their backs to the camera discuss the winning early career researcher poster, which is displayed in the background.
Two women in conversation standing either side of a conference banner

Building International Collaborations

The conference once again demonstrated its international reach, bringing together more than 300 attendees and over 80 speakers from 20 countries across every inhabited continent, as well as providing valuable opportunities for collaboration between academia, government, law enforcement and industry partners. Delegates participated in discussions addressing practical responses to fraud, cybercrime and economic crime, while identifying new opportunities for research partnerships and knowledge exchange.


The continued success of the conference reflects the University of Portsmouth's position as a leading international centre for research into fraud, cybercrime, cybersecurity and economic crime. With representatives from law enforcement, government, industry, technology companies and civil society organisations participating alongside academic researchers, the conference provided a valuable forum for translating research into policy and practice.

A group of conference delegates in conversation stand around a table in the networking area
Two smiling men exchange fist bumps in the conference networking area
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A queue of people in the Richmond Atrium waiting to register for the conference

Thank you to our speakers, delegates, organisers and sponsors

The Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime would like to thank all speakers, delegates and organisers who contributed to the success of the conference.

Special thanks to to our conference sponsors:

The logo for Cifas

Diamond Sponsor

The logo for Alibaba

Platinum Sponsor

The logo for LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Gold Sponsor

The logo for AVIEL Intelligence

Drinks Reception Sponsor

Save the Date and Call for Papers for 2027!

Following the success of this year's event, planning is already underway for the 16th International Cybercrime and Economic Crime Conference, which will take place at the University of Portsmouth on 16-17 June 2027. The conference will continue its tradition of bringing together world-leading researchers, practitioners and policymakers to address emerging challenges in cybercrime, economic crime and online harms. The call for papers is now open, with general registration due to open in early 2027. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive all the latest updates.