On March 5, 2013, ACAMS brought its first live, full-day seminar to Phoenix, jointly sponsored by the Greater Phoenix ACAMS Chapter. Twenty-nine attendees from six different states had the opportunity to hear speakers from financial institutions and the IRS Criminal Investigations (CI) division. Presentations covered expectations of law enforcement, examiners, and senior management as well as real-life fraud scenarios with recordings of bank call centers. Attendees were divided into five groups, each with a separate ‘fact’ sheet, to discuss and create Suspicious Activity Reports on the transactions/activity provided. The IRS CI, both of whom are members of the Phoenix SARs task force, reviewed the SARs and provided feedback on the narratives.

Attendees were from a variety of financial industries, including banks, casinos, credit unions, money services businesses and insurance companies from multiple different states. The diversity led to discussions of varying fraud and unusual activity seen within each industry. Real world experiences were also shared by the presenters, from financial institution and law enforcement perspectives. 

The seminar was hosted by Silicon Valley Bank in Tempe, AZ and attended by several national and Chapter ACAMS members. Click here for more information on chapter membership!