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Podcast Episode

Gaming the System: The Rise of First Party Fraud

What The Fraud?·Sumsub·29 April 2026·49 min

About this episode

“What happens when the fraudster isn’t a stranger… but your own customer?” Fraud Prevention Course: https://sumsub.link/2qi Businesses spend millions verifying identities, onboarding users, and preventing external attacks. But one of the fastest-growing threats now comes from inside the perimeter: legitimate customers exploiting refunds, disputes, chargebacks, subscriptions, and reimbursement systems for personal gain. Our special guest this week is Richard Bromley, Head of Fraud and Disputes Risk at Monzo Bank. Drawing on years of experience at the sharp end of fraud prevention, Richard explains why first party fraud has become one of the most misunderstood and underestimated risks facing banks, fintechs, merchants, and payment providers today. From false scam claims and refund abuse to subscription traps, social media “hacks,” and organized criminal groups exploiting reimbursement schemes, this conversation explores how customer fraud is evolving from opportunistic behaviour into a scalable criminal model. We also examine why the term “friendly fraud” is dangerously misleading, how businesses can distinguish genuine victims from dishonest claimants, and why behavioural signals, machine learning, investigator expertise, and cross-industry collaboration are now essential to staying ahead. Sumsub's Website: sumsub.com Sumsub's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/sumsub Sumsub's Instagram: instagram.com/sumsubcom Sumsub on X: x.com/Sumsubcom Sumsub's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@sumsubcom Thomas Taraniuk on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomtaraniuk Richard Bromley on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richard-bromley-ica-dip-fcp-4b559a4a/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.