IAFCI Presents... The Protectors

A promising investment. A convincing online relationship. A job offer that sounds like a fresh start. Today on The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark are joined by Gary Warner, Director of Intelligence at DarkTower and co-founder of the nonprofit Intelligence for Good, to talk about cryptocurrency investment scams - how they work, who is most affected, and how people are convinced to hand over the...

Today on The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark are joined by NYPD Detective Daniel Alessandrino from the 2026 IAFCI Annual Training Conference in Nashville to explore why street gangs are expanding into fraud and scams. The attraction? Bigger profits, easier opportunities, and no need for a violent confrontation. From New York to communities across the country, Dan breaks down what he’s seeing, h...

What does card skimming look like from the other side? Michael Perez knows firsthand. Once involved in gas pump and ATM skimming, Michael combined his knowledge of electronics with an understanding of how to steal card information. Today, he’s putting that experience to a different use: helping others recognize and investigate the fraud he once committed. From the 2026 IAFCI Annual Training Confer...

Sometimes being a protector isn’t about running toward gunfire or putting someone in handcuffs. Sometimes, it’s simply about knowing what to say and being there when someone needs you most. In July, Metro Nashville Police Lieutenant Mike Hotz responded to Nashville’s Victory Memorial Bridge, where a man stood on the edge, ready to end his life. For nearly 45 minutes, Mike talked to him. He listene...

Welcome to a very special edition of The Protectors Podcast . In 1987, seven-year-old Lauren Burns was abducted by her father and taken thousands of miles away to Jordan. With no cell phones, no internet, and no idea whether she would ever see her mother again, Lauren was left to begin an entirely different life in a foreign country. Today, Lauren shares what she experienced through the eyes of th...

In this special episode of The Protectors Podcast , we step into the heart of the 2026 conference and hear directly from the people who make the IAFCI community what it is. Members and attendees from around the world share what brought them to Nashville, what keeps them coming back, and what makes the Annual Training Conference such an important opportunity to learn, collaborate, build relationshi...

On this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark welcome Dr. Buzz Mingin for a fascinating conversation about stress - what it does to the body and brain, how it affects our judgment, and why scammers and fraudsters deliberately use pressure and urgency to manipulate their victims. Dr. Buzz breaks down the physical and psychological effects of stress, including the role of hormones and th...

On this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark welcome retired prosecutor and nationally recognized elder abuse expert Paul Greenwood. Drawing on decades of courtroom experience, Paul shares practical advice for law enforcement, prosecutors, and families confronting fraud, scams, and abuse. From helping victims who refuse to believe they are being deceived, to building stronger cases an...

Gold bar scams are becoming more common than many people realize, and they can target victims of any age. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast , Mike and Mark speak with Tallie Stubbs, an anti-money laundering compliance officer with APMEX, Inc., and Ben Soldat of Grand Rapids Coins in Rockford, Michigan. Tallie shares her insights from the compliance and investigative sides, including how th...

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...