Connecting a global community to tackle tomorrow's challenges in cybercrime, economic crime and forensic accounting.
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15th International Counter Fraud, Cybercrime and Forensic Accounting Conference
17-18 June 2026
Richmond Building, University of Portsmouth 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 University of Portsmouth 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)
- Cifas
- Graham Clemence, Alibaba
For any questions or guidance about the conference, please contact us.
Join the conversation: #UOP_CCEC and #UoP_CCEC_CONF26
Sponsors
We would like to thank our sponsors for supporting the conference.
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. Presentation topic to be confirmed.
- Cifas. Presentation topic to be confirmed.
- Professor Yaniv Hanoch, University of Wolverhampton. Reducing Fraud Benefit Claims: The Role of Deterrence Theory and AI.
11.00am - Coffee and Networking
11.30am - Parallel Speaker Sessions
AI-Driven Deception and Fraud: Chair to be confirmed
- Professor Anna Nesvijevskaia, Haute école de gestion de Genève, Switzerland. The Application of AI Models to Online Fraud Detection.
- 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.)
Forensic Approaches to Financial Crime: Chair to be confirmed
- 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.
Online Exploitation and Harm: Chair to be confirmed
- 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.
Understanding Investment and Property Frauds: Chair to be confirmed
- 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.
1.00pm - Lunch and Networking
2.00pm - Parallel Speaker Sessions
Investigating and Preventing Financial Fraud: Chair to be confirmed
- Dr Amber Phillips, University of the West of England, UK. The Monopoly Squad: Exploring Motivation and Challenge in Financial Investigation.
- Diana K. Ogega, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. OSINT Evidence in Cross-Border Financial Crime Investigations: Evaluating the Approach in the United Kingdom.
- Dr Fang Ma, University of Portsmouth, 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.)
Understanding West African Fraud and Cybercrime: Chair to be confirmed
- 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 Fraud 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.
Financial Transparency and Illicit Finance Controls: Chair to be confirmed
- Björn Miketta, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. "Who Are You?": Linking Banks' AML/KYC Standards to Regulatory Penalties and Financial Performance.
- 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: Chair to be confirmed
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. University of Portsmouth. Education and Radicalisation: How Terrorist Groups in Burkina Faso Exploit School Disruptions for Youth Recruitment.
3.30pm - Coffee and Networking
4.00pm - Parallel Speaker Sessions
Exploring Fraud and Cybercrime Offending: Chair to be confirmed
- Dr Peter Tickner, University of Portsmouth, 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, University of Portsmouth, UK. An Ontological Framework for Understanding Fraud.
- Peter Griffin, AVIEL Intelligence, UK. Honeypots and Hustlers.
- Rebecca Taylor, Sophos, UK. Hidden Figures: Women in Cybercrime.
Approaches to Tackling Economic and Financial Crime: Chair to be confirmed
- Laura Eshelby, Clue Software and Mike Betts, Public Sector Fraud Authority, UK. Beyond the Five Eyes: Exploring Ways to Counter Fraud.
- Dr Branislav Hock, University of Portsmouth, 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.
Detecting and Preventing Cyber-Enabled Economic Crime: Chair to be confirmed
- 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.
5.30pm - 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 to be confirmed (LT1/Online)
- Cyber Policy Unit, Home Office, UK. Further details to be confirmed.
- 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: Chair be confirmed
- 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.
Online Scams and Language: Chair to be confirmed
- 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 and Dr Iain Reid, University of Portsmouth, UK. Sponsored Advertisements: A Study Into Subscription Traps and the Authorisation Paradox.
Global Responses to Cybercrime and Economic Crime: Chair to be confirmed
- 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: Chair to be confirmed
- Dr Yutaka Yoshida, Cardiff University, UK. Surviving Fraud: Meaning-Making and Identity After Fraud Victimisation.
- Professor Birgit Jaeger and Professor Birgitte Poulsen, Roskilde University, Denmark. Beyond Financial Loss: Emotional and Social Impacts of Contact-Fraud on Older Danes.
- Dr Janice Goldstraw-White, Perpetuity Research, UK. Profiting from Grief: Funeral Related Fraud and the Exploitation of the Bereaved.
12.30pm - Lunch
1.15pm - Panel Sessions
Marsden Cyber Security Panel: Chaired by Dr Lisa Sugiura
- Katie Short, University of Portsmouth.
- Dr Stu Lucy, University of Portsmouth.
- Panellist to be confirmed.
Hackivism: Chaired by Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos
- Professor Athina Karatzogianni, University of Leicester, UK.
- Ben Gibney, Orange Cyberdefense, Sweden.
- Onatkut Varis, Deloitte, Ireland.
The Cost of Fraud: Chaired to be confirmed
- Ross Watkins, Home Office, UK.
- Professor Mark Button, University of Portsmouth, UK.
- Panellist to be confirmed.
2.15pm - Coffee and Networking
2.45pm - Keynote session: Chaired to be confirmed (LT1/Online)
- 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, University of Portsmouth, UK. Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Lowering of Skill Barriers in Cyber-Enabled Fraud.
- Nicholas Elliott, University of Portsmouth, UK. The Psychology and Criminology Nexus: Psychological Factors as Predictors of Fraud Victimisation in Young People.
- Ethan Thomas, University of Cambridge, UK. Root Access: A Descriptive Analysis of Entry-Level, Cyber-Dependent Offending Using Police Data.
- Maryna Murlian, University of Portsmouth, UK. State Capture Under Martial Law: A Criminological Analysis of Elite Networks in Ukraine.
- Eva Hrdličková, 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, University of Portsmouth, 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.
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
Portsmouth
PO1 3DE
Contact us
For all conference enquiries, please email ccec@port.ac.uk.
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