Southern MA Chapter Gathers to Tackle Fraud

More than 50 credit union professionals, both chapter members and non-members, gathered at the Fireside Grille in Middleboro, MA, for the Southern MA Chapter’s annual Fraud Meeting. Chapter President Lee Brookfield of St. Anne’s Credit Union welcomed attendees, emphasizing the importance of coming together to address the evolving fraud landscape. She also highlighted the chapter’s upcoming social responsibility event, a bed-building initiative on March 22nd.

This marks the second consecutive year the chapter has hosted this fraud-focused meeting, drawing strong attendance. The event kicked off with a presentation by Sean Flynn, VP of Card & Banking at TransUnion, who provided insight into the latest fraud trends and strategies to combat them. Fraud continues to pose significant challenges for financial institutions, requiring constant vigilance and a cross-functional approach within credit unions. Flynn stressed the importance of involving employees from multiple departments to effectively prevent fraud.

A key topic of discussion was Synthetic Fraud—where fraudsters combine stolen personal information, often from minors, to create fake identities and open fraudulent accounts. This type of fraud is particularly difficult to detect, though TransUnion and other companies have developed tools to identify warning signs.

The second half of the evening featured an engaging panel discussion with Jennifer Delgado, VP of Lending at New Bedford Credit Union, along with Tracy Schonhoff, VP of Compliance, and Tyler Dechaine, VP of Operations at Taunton Federal Credit Union. The panelists led an open forum where attendees shared real-world fraud cases and best practices for prevention. The discussion fostered collaboration, with participants leaving not only with actionable strategies but also a renewed commitment to sharing fraud insights across institutions to mitigate risks collectively.

Looking ahead, the next chapter meeting will be Teller Appreciation Night on June 3rd, celebrating frontline staff with a fun evening of bowling at Somerset Lanes in Somerset, MA. We hope to see you there!