Member Spotlight

Giuseppe Tritto, CFE

Executive creates anti-fraud cooperation across a continent

As the vice president and head of anti-fraud and corporate governance, Guiseppe Tritto, CFE, knows how far fraud investigations can span. From Miami to Vancouver, Tritto supervises and monitors all corporate and investment banking anti-fraud efforts in North America for BNP Paribas. Aligning those efforts across an organization, and a continent, can be a daunting, but necessary task. “By nature, controls, compliance and audit are not seen as the friendliest departments within a financial institution,” Tritto said. “Creating a spirit of cooperation with business lines is always a challenge. Over the years I have noticed an increased awareness from the business lines about our responsibilities and tasks, which are not aimed at penalizing business, but preventing negative events.” 

Creating a spirit of cooperation with business lines is always a challenge. Over the years I have noticed an increased awareness from the business lines about our responsibilities and tasks, which are not aimed at penalizing business, but preventing negative events. Giuseppe Tritto, CFE
Occupation:

Vice President, Head of Anti-Fraud and Corporate Governance

Industry:

Financial Services

Location:

Edgewater, New Jersey, U.S.

What made you decide to become a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)? 

As a practitioner for more than 25 years both for the Italian government and private sector in the U.S., I found the reputation and credentials of the ACFE to be the perfect match for me. The ACFE provides an invaluable forum to share knowledge and get to know other professionals in the field. 

How has becoming a member of the ACFE helped you in your career? 

Being part of the ACFE gave me knowledge I was able to transfer to both my organization and to my daily tasks. The head office and local senior management appreciate what I add to our fraud prevention efforts. Being a member of the organization has provided a strong foundation in this endeavor and it was reflected by my appointment in my role.  

What trends are you currently seeing in fraud investigations? Do you see any trends specific to your region? 

We are in the U.S. corporate and investment banking field and we do not have a lot of exposure to retail fraud. That being said, we have received several requests for support for internet-related fraud schemes. Currently, the level of sophistication of these schemes is remarkable and requires more in-depth review of the materials and particular attention to details.  

Please describe your most memorable case and its resolution (to-date if it’s a fresh case). Feel free to use pseudonyms for suspects if the case is ongoing and no judgment has yet been made. 

When I worked for the Italian government as a special agent for the Italian Treasury, I uncovered a major scheme involving sensitive figures. The scheme focused on a government insurance agency involving fraud, corruption, money laundering and bribery on a large scale. It eventually resulted in the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars and the arrest of several public figures.  

What advice would you give to someone hoping to follow a similar career path as you? 

Believe in what you do and provide the best service based on ethics, knowledge and a spirit of cooperation. Sometimes what we uncover is not pleasant, but our mission is to prevent fraudsters and white-collar crimes criminals from exploiting our organizations.  

What do you consider your greatest career achievement? 

The position I hold now was awarded to me as the result of the creation of an anti-fraud program my colleagues and I implemented in North America. In Italy, I would note the case I mentioned in the previous question, as I felt I provided a great service to the community and was well received by the local authorities.  

What role does networking play in your professional career? 

Networking is a key component, as it provides a great forum for information sharing. Professionals in the field remain closed in silos and the abundance of knowledge and expertise is not combined in a cooperative effort to combat fraud. What happens to an organization is not unique and networking allows knowledge to be transferred from one professional to another while providing an invaluable fraud prevention tool. 

ACFE membership is open to individuals of all job functions, industries and levels of experience who are interested in the prevention, detection and deterrence of fraud. If you want to level up your anti-fraud career, we can help.

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