A few years ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with the Women’s Infrastructure Business Initiative (WIBI) for a feature called “Three Questions.”
While the interview was brief, the topics we discussed have been at the center of my work for many years. We talked about fraud, ethics, human behaviour, and the lessons that inspired my book Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry.
Looking back, I’m reminded that some of the most meaningful conversations often begin with the simplest questions.
Looking Beyond the Headlines
When people hear the word “fraud,” they often think of major scandals, corporate collapses, or headline-making crimes. But my work has taught me that fraud is rarely just about money.
At its core, fraud is about people.
It’s about the pressures individuals face, the choices they make, the rationalizations they create, and the environments that allow unethical behaviour to develop. Understanding these factors is critical if we want to prevent fraud rather than simply react to it after the damage has already been done.
Throughout my career as a forensic accountant, researcher, filmmaker, and educator, I’ve been fascinated by the human side of financial crime. I want to understand not only what happened, but why it happened and what we can learn from it.
The Inspiration Behind Fool Me Once
One of the questions touched on the inspiration for Fool Me Once. The book was born from years of research, case studies, interviews, and conversations with individuals whose lives had been affected by fraud in very different ways.
What became clear to me was that there is no single profile for a fraudster, a whistleblower, or a victim. The stories were far more complex than the stereotypes we often see portrayed.
Some people made poor decisions under immense pressure. Others recognized wrongdoing but struggled with whether to come forward. Many victims never imagined they could be deceived until it happened to them.
These stories reinforced an important lesson: understanding fraud requires empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to examine our own assumptions.
Why These Conversations Continue to Matter
The issues we discussed in that interview remain incredibly relevant today.
Technology has transformed how we communicate, conduct business, and manage information. It has also created new opportunities for deception, manipulation, and financial misconduct. While the tools may change, the underlying human behaviours often remain the same.
Questions about trust, accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership continue to affect every industry. They influence how organizations build culture, how leaders make decisions, and how individuals respond when they encounter wrongdoing.
That’s why I believe education and conversation are such powerful tools. The more we understand how fraud works and why people make the choices they do, the better prepared we are to recognize risks and create environments where ethical behaviour can thrive.
Continuing the Dialogue
What I appreciate most about interviews like this is the opportunity to reach audiences who may not normally engage with topics like forensic accounting or fraud examination.
These conversations create space for broader discussions about leadership, decision-making, integrity, and human behaviour. They remind us that fraud is not a niche issue reserved for accountants and investigators—it is a human issue that touches every profession and every community.
Years later, I’m still grateful for the opportunity to share my perspective through WIBI’s “Three Questions” feature. The interview may have been short, but the ideas behind it continue to shape my work and the conversations I’m fortunate to have every day.
Sometimes, three questions are all it takes to start a discussion that lasts for years.