IAFCI Presents... The Protectors

Text scams are everywhere - and they’re getting more personal, more believable, and more creative. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Executive Producer Doug Taylor interviews Mike and Mark as they examine real scam texts they’ve received personally. From fake wedding invitations and “wrong number” messages to property-buying offers, insurance pitches, and suspicious links, they break dow...

This week on The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with nationally known investigative reporter John Solomon - who also happens to be Mark’s brother - for a timely conversation about the growing state of fraud, corruption, and abuse in our country. John has spent his career exposing wrongdoing, following the facts, and shining a light on systems that too often go unchecked. In this episo...

Today on The Protectors Podcast , we come to you from the 2025 IAFCI Conference in Oklahoma, where Mark sits down solo for a fast-moving conversation with members of the Wichita Task Force. These law enforcement officers specialize in retail theft investigations, but their focus goes far beyond small-time shoplifting - they’re targeting organized, professional retail theft crews operating on a muc...

This week on The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with Susan Sommerville, an Enrolled Agent whose work led her into a heartbreaking case of financial exploitation. Sue’s story is a powerful reminder that fraud doesn’t always start with a suspicious email or a bad investment — sometimes it begins with loneliness, trust, and the hope of finding love again. On this episode, we look at how...

Romance scams are among the most personal and devastating forms of fraud - because the criminal isn’t just after money. They’re after trust. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with two powerful voices on the front lines of this issue. Kate Kleinert shares how she went from victim to advocate after experiencing a romance scam firsthand. Cassandra Dessureau-O'Hara, a...

This week on The Protectors Podcast , Mark and Mike are joined by Rudy Meola, a leading voice in the world of auto title fraud. From sophisticated vehicle fraud schemes impacting banks and lenders to everyday consumers being misled in private sales, the risks are growing fast. Rudy breaks down how these scams work, who’s being targeted, and why they’re becoming more common. He also shares key red...

On today’s episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with Shawn Loveland to uncover one of the most dangerous risks facing organizations today—insider threats. From trusted employees to “trusted bad actors,” Shawn breaks down how threats from within are costing companies billions every year and why they’re often the hardest to detect. From dark web investigations to uncovering hid...

Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing the world, it’s changing how fraud works. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with Connor Heaton, Program Manager at CivAI, to explore how AI is already being used to power the next generation of scams, deepfakes, and highly personalized social engineering attacks. From voice cloning and video deepfakes to AI-generated phis...

March Madness brings more than buzzer-beaters and busted brackets — it’s also one of the biggest sports betting moments of the year. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark welcome back Dr. Declan Hill, a leading researcher and author who has spent years studying the global sports betting industry, for a follow-up conversation about the forces shaping modern wagering. From the ri...

This episode of The Protectors Podcast is a tough one. Today, Mike and Mark welcome back Bernie — a past guest who bravely shared how he was targeted in a romance scam. Now he’s back… because it happened again. How does this happen twice, and why do these schemes succeed — even when we believe we’re smarter than the last attempt? Also joining us is licensed professional counselor Cassandra O’Hara,...

On this episode of The Protectors Podcast, hosts Mike and Mark welcome back Kelly Gowe, whose mother was the victim of a devastating romance scam that ended in tragedy. Since her last appearance, Kelly, working with members of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, has uncovered critical details that were previously missed. Her pursuit of truth has not only advanced her m...

Today on The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark welcome back one of their most compelling guests — Dr. Declan Hill of the University of New Haven. A world-leading expert on sports gambling, match-fixing, and organized crime in athletics, Declan joins us to break down how legal betting, corporate media, and underground networks are colliding in ways most fans never see. If you love sports, this conv...

This week on The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark are joined by Kathy Stokes, AARP’s national fraud prevention authority, for a powerful look at the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center (NEFCC) — a groundbreaking program uniting law enforcement agencies nationwide to track, connect, and prosecute complex elder fraud cases. Kathy reveals how coordinated intelligence is leading to real arrests...

In this special New Year’s Eve episode of The Protectors Podcast , the team comes together for a year-in-review conversation reflecting on the cases, conversations, and insights that defined the past year. Hosts Mark and Mike are joined by Executive Producer Doug Taylor and Editor-in-Chief Chris Warner to revisit standout moments with expert guests who helped shed light on today’s most complex fin...

In this episode of  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with Detective Mark DiBone from the Maricopa County Police Department in Arizona to talk about a type of crime we haven’t spent much time on before — healthcare fraud. Mark walks them through a real case involving stolen identity, insurance fraud, and fraudulent medical billing that added up to nearly half a million dollars....

Recorded live on stage in front of a packed audience at the 2025 IAFCI Conference in Oklahoma City, today’s episode of  The Protectors Podcast features U.S. Marshals Service veteran Kaitlyn Kent. Kaitlyn breaks down how following the money helps close violent cases and how the IAFCI’s network gives investigators the edge. Her perspective comes straight from the front lines of the Marshals Ser...

On this episode of  The Protectors , Mike and Mark are joined by Sarasota Police Detectives Andrew Rowe and Carlos Verdoni—two investigators who’ve been uncovering one of the most surprising types of organized fraud happening today. We first met Andrew and Carlos at the 2025 Oklahoma Conference, and their story stuck with us. What started with a simple fraud report quickly led...

In this episode of  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with NYPD Detective Daniel Alessandrino. Dan pulls back the curtain on a darker, more organized side of financial crime—where powerful gang alliances cross borders, and human trafficking “campuses” drive a multibillion-dollar global fraud operation - one call and one victim at a time. It’s a chilling look at the new face of o...

Today on  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark are coming to you from the 2025 IAFCI International Conference in Oklahoma City. They sit down with forensic accountant Steve Pedneault, who pulls back the curtain on what it really means to be a forensic accountant — how it’s different from traditional accounting, how financial investigations uncover fraud and embezzlement, and how his work su...

They may go by different names—psychics, healers, spiritual guides—but the con is always the same: taking people’s money by promising the impossible. Today on  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark welcome Audrey Moy to the conference studio at the 2025 IAFCI Convention in Oklahoma City. Audrey is a retired investigator who now volunteers with AARP to protect elders from fraud. She’s here to...

Today,  The Protectors Podcast  comes to you from the 2025 IAFCI National Convention in Oklahoma City with a conversation that digs deep into one of the most controversial cases of our time. Mike and Mark welcome Professor Declan Hill of the University of New Haven, a world-class investigator whose students conducted the most thorough investigation into the death of Jeffrey Epstein, goin...

In this episode of  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with retired detective Tony Fiscella to revisit a case that shook a community to its core — the murder of 24-year-old Valerie Reyes. Known as  The Girl in the Red Suitcase , Valerie’s story is as haunting as it is unforgettable. Detective Fiscella not only led the investigation that brought her killer to justice, but als...

In this episode of  The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark sit down with fraud experts Jim De La Torre and Jon Reader to unpack how criminals gain victims’ trust—and then exploit it. From email schemes to social media ploys, they reveal how much of your personal information is already out there and why vigilance is your best defense. They also emphasize the importance of educating yourself -...

On this episode of  The Protectors Podcast , recorded at the TIAA Fraud Summit in North Carolina, Mike and Mark sit down with threat intel analyst Paul Raffile. When a close friend became the victim of a sextortion scam involving explicit images and threats for money, Paul put his skills to work. What he uncovered led to a massive collaboration with law enforcement, bringing together a wide r...

Today we celebrate a major milestone—100 episodes of  The Protectors Podcast ! Since day one, our mission has been to educate and empower people worldwide, helping them avoid fraud, scams, and cybercrime while encouraging victims to come forward. With listeners in over 21 countries, we’re proud to highlight the incredible work of IAFCI members and their commitment to investigating a...