Houston Association of Certified Fraud Examiners upcoming events

April In Person Training Event for Networking, Education and Lunch (4 Hrs CPE) (April 17, 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:30:00 GMT

NOTE THE NEW LOCATION: HILTON HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER, 6840 ALMEDA RD (@HOLCOMBE), HOUSTON, TX 77030)

WE'RE TRYING OUT A NEW LOCATION TO BROADEN OUR OUTREACH

The Houston ACFE invites you to join us for our April In Person Training Event for Networking and Education (4 Hrs including 1 hour of Ethics)

This event is a four hour event that we are providing at a discounted price to our current Houston Chapter members. We will have 4 hours of Specialized Knowledge. If you aren't a member yet, this is a great time to join!! Join at the Houston ACFE website: www.houstonacfe.org

ATTENDEES WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR RAFFLE DRAWINGS FOR THE HOUSTON ACFE CONFERENCE (2 WINNERS) AND THE ACFE EXAM PREP GUIDE

Presentation 1: Cryptocurrency Risks & Safeguards: Stablecoin Is Coming to a Business Near You

Speaker: W. Marc Schwartz & Kevin Ortiz, Schwartz Associates (9:10 - 10:30 am)

Description: This presentation provides an introduction to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, with a focus on the rapidly growing role of stablecoins in the modern economy. We will cover how blockchain transactions work, the key differences between stablecoins and unregulated crypto, and the legal framework emerging around stablecoins under the GENIUS Act. We will also explore real-world concerns such as fraud, scams, and privacy risks, and demonstrate how blockchain forensics can be used to trace illicit transactions and support potential recovery.

Marc Schwartz is the founder, CEO and Managing Member of Schwartz Associates, LLC which specializes in Financial and Blockchain Forensics. His practice over the past fifty one years has included providing business valuation, financial restructuring and expert witness services on a number of civil and criminal cases as well as serving as a Chapter 11 bankruptcy trustee, a Chief Restructuring Officer, an examiner with expanded powers, a Federal and State court receiver, and as a court appointed special master. For the past three years he has been active in analyzing and developing business strategies relating to crypto currency and the blockchain. In November 2024 the Firm began to offer fee paid services tracing stolen cryptocurrency on the blockchain, to date the firm has traced $1.23 billion of crypto transactions

Kevin Ortiz offers a multidisciplinary background in cyber engineering, blockchain forensics, and client-focused investigations to his role at Schwartz Associates. With a strong foundation in network security and digital asset tracing, he specializes in delivering investigative solutions that pair technical precision with a deep understanding of cybercrime dynamics. His expertise includes analyzing blockchain transactions, mapping exposure across smart contracts, and guiding clients through complex digital asset recovery efforts. Before joining Schwartz Associates, Kevin built hands-on experience in network infrastructure and cybersecurity across both academic and private-sector environments. His technical work includes the development of a smart mobility device featuring embedded cybersecurity protocols and Wi-Fi-based geolocation, as well as leading infrastructure and security initiatives for Fortune 500 companies across the United States.

Presentation 2: E-pay: Emerging Threats and Scandals (10:45 -12:00 pm)

Speaker: Doug Kutta Jr., Special Agent, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)

With a distinguished career beginning in 2001, Doug is an expert in complex fraud investigations who transitioned from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—where he earned the HSI Director's Award and served on a high-risk Special Response Team—to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Following an Inspector General Award-winning investigation, he currently focuses on sophisticated financial crimes in Houston, serving on the Elder Fraud Strike Force and Financial Review Team. His background combines extensive domestic and international field experience with specialized skills in forensic investigation, fraud mitigation, and high-level investigative reporting for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Description: Emerging Threats & Scams examines how U.S. Treasury checks continue to be exploited through theft, alteration, and identity fraud, despite the expansion of electronic payments. Using real‑world law enforcement case studies, the session highlights key red flags, frontline failures, and investigation best practices tied to IRS and benefit check fraud. It also covers Treasury verification tools, current fraud trends, and what payment fraud professionals should expect as the federal government phases out paper checks and fraud migrates to ACH and debit channels. Attendees will gain practical insight into evidence preservation, coordination with federal partners, and building stronger referrals for prosecution. The session reinforces how timely intervention and informed questioning can prevent losses and disrupt organized fraud networks.

Presentation 3:

Description: Supply Chain Fraud: What AI Won’t Tell You!

Speaker: Jay Qatato CFE, Vice President, Supply Chain, CALPINE Corporation (1:00 - 2:00 pm)

Bio: Jay has over 30 years of experience in supply chain, auditing, engineering, operations, and shared services. In his current role as the VP Supply Chain for Calpine, he manages a significant portion of the supply chain and is responsible for the procure to pay application to support all aspects of supply, including contracts, sourcing, purchasing, and invoicing. Jay has conducted both audit and internal investigations during the course of his career in a variety of business areas. He has been responsible for the creation of various analytics and interactive dashboards to manage risk and highlight any potential transactions of interest. Jay authored an article for the IIA International Magazine titled “Auditor or Adviser” and has been a guest on an Audit Podcast. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and is a CIA, CCSA, and CFE.

Description: Supply Chain Fraud – What AI Won’t Tell You

Supply chain fraud remains one of the most complex, costly, and least understood risks facing organizations today — and it’s not something technology alone can solve.

In this session, Jay Qatato, VP Supply Chain, explores the real‑world realities of supply chain fraud, drawing on practical experience across procurement, inventory, logistics, suppliers, and payments. Attendees will gain a clear view of where fraud can most commonly occur, why traditional controls and even advanced analytics often fall short, and how everyday business practices can unintentionally create exposure.

This session emphasizes practical prevention strategies: strengthening business understanding, improving controls and vendor onboarding, recognizing red flags, and reinforcing accountability across the supply chain. The takeaway is clear — effective fraud prevention starts with understanding how your business actually operates.

Agenda:

8:30 am Breakfast and Networking

9:00 am Welcome

9:00 - 10:30 am - Presentation 1

10:45 - 12:00 am Presentation 2

12:00 - 12:50 Lunch

12:50- 12:55 Chapter News

1:00 - 2:00 Presentation 3

Event Policies:

Program Cancellation Policy

If you have registered and/or paid for an event and you need to cancel, you MUST cancel online through your account no later than 5 days prior to the event, unless otherwise indicated in specific event policies, to request a refund and/or cancel your registration. The Chapter must confirm event registrations with the venue prior to the event and any changes after this time period can become a financial cost to the Chapter. The Chapter reserves the right to make the final determination on what percentage charge/refund will be returned for cancellations made after the cutoff. The default condition is that cancellations made after cutoff will be charged at 100% and/or no refunds will be allowed. In the event the Chapter determines that partial charges or refunds will be allowed, they will be made on a case by case basis.

In the event of having to cancel one of the events, the Chapter would immediately send an email blast to all registrants with the emails they used for registration. The Chapter media relations officer would post on all social media platforms notifying members of the cancellation, and the Chapter webmaster would also post cancellation on the Chapter website.

In the event an attendee does not show up to the event, the registration cost will be forfeited. If payment at the door was the selected method, then the attendee will be billed for the full cost of the event. The Chapter reserves the right to bar future registrations for any attendees who routinely register and fail to pay and/or attend the event. If you have any questions you may email events@houstonacfe.org."

For more information regarding refund, complaint and/or program cancellation policies, please visit the Terms & Conditions section of the website, or email us at events@houstonacfe.org.

Additional Information:

Delivery Method: Group Live

Prerequisites: Not Applicable
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Who Should Attend: Anti-fraud professionals, Auditors, Accountants, Attorneys, Investigators, Law Enforcement, Educators, Students
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Basic

NASBA Sponsor No. 125230

The Houston 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 web site: www.nasbaregistry.org

For concerns regarding course offerings, certifications or complaints, please contact: Sasha Gartman, Training Director at the Houston ACFE.

April 2026 ACFE Houston Virtual Training "Fraud in the Age of AI: When Identity Becomes the New Attack Surface” (April 28, 2026)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:55:00 GMT

The Houston ACFE invites you to join us for our Monthly virtual training! As usual, it will be on the last Tuesday of the month.

Speaker: Dr. Jovita T. Nsoh, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity, University of Houston

Title: Fraud in the Age of AI: When Identity Becomes the New Attack Surface

Description: This session examines how AI, automation, and cloud platforms have transformed identity into the primary attack vector for fraud. It covers synthetic identities, deepfake-enabled impersonation, credential marketplaces, and why traditional controls fail when identity governance breaks down.

Bio: Dr. Jovita Nsoh ['Soh] has over 26 years of progressive experience executing key technology strategies and leading large, distributed cross-functional teams using agile software development methodologies. In addition, Dr. Nsoh has a deep understanding and technical expertise in complex technology deployments, digital transformation, and technology insights for various industries, public sector (civilian, defense, & intelligence community), emphasizing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity issues related to critical infrastructures such as energy, water, autonomous systems, and the intelligent supply chain. His research interests include security for emerging trends and technologies such as Industrie 4.0/5.0, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), neural networks, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Dr. Nsoh earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science concentrating on Cybersecurity and Information Assurance at Colorado Technical University (CTU) in the USA in 2021. Dr. Nsoh also obtained a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Finance at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in the USA in 2006, an MSc. Applied Informatics from Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences in Germany in 2002, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the USA in 2015, and finally, and LLB (Hon) from the University of Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 1992.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify emerging AI-enabled fraud techniques targeting digital identities.
Understand how authentication and authorization failures enable financial crime.
Recognize red flags and investigative considerations related to identity-based fraud.

Prerequisites: Not Applicable

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Who Should Attend: Anti-fraud professionals, Auditors, Accountants, Attorneys, Investigators, Cybersecurity Professionals, Law Enforcement, Educators, Students
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Basic

Agenda:

11:50 am ZOOM OPENS

11:55 am - ACFE BOARD REMARKS AND INTRODUCTION

12:00 - 1:00 PRESENTATION BEGINS

Recommended CPE hours: 1.0 credits

Event Policies

In order to receive CPE credit for this presentation, the attendee must attend for 50 minutes and answer three poll questions randomly presented during the event.

Program Cancellation Policy

For more information regarding refund, complaint and/or program cancellation policies, please visit the Terms & Conditions section of the website, or email us at events@houstonacfe.org.

Additional Information:

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

NASBA Sponsor No. 125230

For concerns regarding course offerings, certifications or complaints, please contact Sasha Gartman, Training Director, Houston ACFE at events@houstonacfe.org.

Virtual Pre-Conference One Day October 21, 2026, ACFE Houston (7 CPEs) (October 21, 2026)

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

We HOPE you will attend our One-Day Virtual Pre-Conference! Our conference them for the 14th Annual Conference is FRAUD WARS: A NEW HOPE!

Registration will be open shortly! You only need to register for the virtual conference if that is the only event you are attending! If you register for the full conference, you do not need to separately register for the virtual conference. You will automatically be registered for the virtual conference and the in person when registering for the full conference.

The Houston ACFE invites you to join us for Day One Virtual Pre-Conference (10/21/2026) for 7 hours of CPE.

If you are already signed up for or intend to sign up for the in person conference you DO NOT need to register here.

Virtual Pre-Conference October 21, 2026

Description:

7:55 am Zoom Opens

8:00 - 4:00 pm Sessions by Zoom

Recommended CPE hours: 7 Hours

Event Policies:

Program Cancellation Policy

For more information regarding refund, complaint and/or program cancellation policies, please visit the Terms & Conditions section of the website, or email us at events@houstonacfe.org.

Additional Information:

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Prerequisites: Not Applicable
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Who Should Attend: Anti-fraud professionals, Auditors, Accountants, Attorneys, Investigators, Law Enforcement, Educators, Students
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Basic

NASBA Sponsor No. 125230

For concerns regarding course offerings, certifications or complaints, please contact: Sasha Gartman, Training Director at the Houston ACFE.

14th Annual ACFE Houston Fraud Conference: Fraud Wars - A New Hope (October 22, 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Fraud Wars: A New Hope is the theme of our 14th Annual Houston Fraud Conference!

Same price as last year!

Note: If you are registered for the full conference, you DO NOT need to register for the virtual conference.

Registration Open soon!

The Houston ACFE Chapter hosts its 14th Annual Fraud Conference offering a 3-day, 21 hour CPE training event stacked with dynamic, entertaining presentations. The lineup of speakers includes some new faces and familiar crowd-pleasers! Registration will be open soon!

Join the Houston ACFE online for the first day of our conference virtually on October 21, 2026. Then come in person for the next two days, October 22-23, 2026

The FULL conference registration fee includes the virtual conference PLUS the in person conference.

You may also register separately for the one-day virtual conference on 10/21 if you cannot attend in person.

CPE Credits (Virtual Preconference Only): 7 credits

CPE Credits (In Person) = 14 credits (8 on Thursday, 6 on Friday)

Full conference: total available: 21 credits

Come Join Us!

Register a group of 5 or more and receive a 10% discount on the regular conference price! For group registrations, please email a list of individual names and email addresses to events@houstonacfe.org

Group memberships and conference registrations can be processed in the same invoice.

Presentations:

October 22-23, 2026 - Two full days of in-person training and networking

Virtual Pre-Conference only October 21, 2026

Note: On Thursday, October 22: All Houston area ACFE members are invited to the free Fall Networking Reception from 5 pm to 6:30 pm at the Norris Conference Center, so networking opportunities are available. Attendance at the conference is not required to attend the networking reception.

CPE Credits:

14 credits = Group Live and another 7 credits Group Internet Based = 21 CPE for the entire conference.

Event Policies:

If you have registered and/or paid for an event and you need to cancel, you MUST email no later than 10 days prior to the event to request a refund and/or cancel your registration.

Cancellations within 10 days of the event will not be eligible for a refund, but substitutions will be accepted. Please request substitutions by emailing events@houstonacfe.org

For more information regarding refund, complaint and/or program cancellation policies, please visit the Terms & Conditions section of the website, or email us at events@houstonacfe.org

Additional Information:

Delivery Method: Group Live & Group Internet Based

Prerequisites: Not Applicable

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Who Should Attend: Anti-fraud professionals, Auditors, Accountants, Attorneys, Investigators, Law Enforcement, Educators, Students

Advanced Preparation: None

Program Level: Basic

Pricing:

Early Bird Pricing - Register on or before July 31, 2026 to save $100 of the quoted prices below (excluding Group Rates)

Houston ACFE Chapter Members – $600.00 This registration fee amount is open only to current members of the Houston ACFE Chapter

Member Group Rate – $540.00 = Must register a group
10% discount for ACFE Members, as part of a Group of 3 or more.

Law Enforcement, Students & Educators – $500.00 To register under this reduced rate you will be need to provide evidence of your eligibility. For more information on qualifying please see the Terms and Conditions located under Events. Please contact events@houstonacfe.org for more information.

Professional Guests & Non-Members – $700.00
This registration is open to anyone. You do not need to be a member of the local ACFE Chapter to register.

Non Member Group Discount Rate (3 or More) – $630.00
10% discount as part of group rate

PAYMENTS CAN ONLY BE MADE THROUGH PAYPAL, ACH WIRE TRANSFER, or in person at one of our in person events. No checks through the mail.

NASBA Sponsor No.125230

Texas CPA No.004563
CFE credits are good for the CFE credential

The Houston 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 web site: www.nasbaregistry.org

For concerns regarding course offerings, certifications or complaints, please contact: Sasha Gartman, Training Director at the Houston ACFE.

events@houstonacfe.org