Scam Compounds & Online Fraud (April 27, 2026)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Scam Compounds: Origins & Perpetrators of Romance & Other Online Frauds

Description: Romance fraud and other online scams often make the news with stories of victims losing their life savings and other assets to someone they met online. The victims may think they are communicating with a new love interest or about to get an investment opportunity too good to pass up. Have you ever wondered "who" is posing as the person on the other end of that scam? Who is engaging in those online conversations and who are the real perpetrators? In this session, you will learn answers to those questions and more about labor trafficking, the people coerced into scam compounds and the perpetrators who run the scam operations. This topic was featured in a recent NY Times story.

Speaker: Dr. Claire Nolasco Braaten has many years of experience as an attorney and as a university researcher and professor, teaching Criminal Law and Cyber Crime, Cybersecurity & law. Her research includes studies of historical & contemporary policy & practice and the cumulative disadvantages created or reproduced by the criminal legal system. Other areas of her research are financial crimes, cryptocurrency crime litigation, and empirically analyzing whether the conditions under which cryptocurrency offenses occurred show support for the convenience theory, insider trading, and Ponzi schemes. She has published in multiple peer-reviewed criminal justice journals, including Law & Society, Journal of Criminal Justice, Crime Law & Social Change, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and Security Journal and law reviews such as the American Journal of Criminal Law and Criminal Law Bulletin. Dr. Braaten earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University, her Masters in International & Economic Business Law from Kyushu University in Japan, and both her Bachelors Degree in Political Science and her J.D. in Law from the University of the Philippines College of Law. She is a professor in the Department of Criminology & Political Science at Texas A&M University, San Antonio.

Learning Objectives: After attending this session, participants will be able to:

Define "scam compound"
Explain how human trafficking is key to the operation of romance & other online scams.
Describe the perpetrators who operate scam compounds & where they are located.

Recommended CPE credit & Field of Study: 1 CPE hour & Specialized Knowledge

Refund, Cancellation & No-Show Policy: Refunds of frees paid for internet-based sessions may be provided only if registrant contacts Austin ACFE not later than 24 hours prior to the start time of the session & documents an emergency or similar event that prevented participation. For in-person events, registration cancellations and refund request must be made by contacting Austin ACFE not later than 5 calendar days from the start time of the session. Cancellations received less than 5 days prior to the event will not be refunded except for exigent circumstances. Contact must be made via e-mailto:info@austinacfe.com

In the event a registrant does not attend event, the registration cost will be forfeited. If payment at the door for in-person events was the selected method, the registrant will be billed for the full cost of the event. Austin ACFE reserves the right to bar from future events registrants who routinely register and fail to pay &/or attend events. For events provided by the Austin chapter at no cost to registrants, there will be no refunds.

Complaint Resolution Policy: Any concerns or complaints about registration for an event must be made within 14 calendar days of the event (with the event date counting as day 1) in writing to: info@austinacfe.com

NASBA Registry: The Austin Area chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Non-profit Status: The Austin Area Chapter of The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is a non-profit organization formed in the State of Texas and registered as a 501 (C) (6) organization with the IRS.

Austin Chapter of the ACFE upcoming events

Scam Compounds & Online Fraud (April 27, 2026)