Bukola bakare
Summary
Dedicated Financial Crimes Investigator with extensive experience in analyzing transaction alerts, identifying risk indicators, and conducting CIP, KYC, and AML due diligence reviews. Skilled in drafting and filing SARs, evaluating fraud typologies, and supporting regulatory compliance across BSA/AML frameworks. Recognized for strong analytical thinking, clear communication, and effective collaboration with internal teams to enhance fraud prevention, mitigate risk, and strengthen operational excellence.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Global Financial Crimes Investigator
Pegasus Bank
Dallas, Texas
08.2024 - Current
- Review and analyze system-generated alerts, transaction monitoring activity, and risk indicators in accordance with Financial Crimes Compliance standards to identify potential fraud, money laundering, and suspicious behaviors.
- Assess Financial Crimes and fraud-related triggers, red flags, and typologies to determine the level of risk and whether deeper investigation or enhanced review is required.
- Escalate complex or high-risk cases to supervisory staff and collaborate on next steps, ensuring timely and accurate risk mitigation and regulatory alignment.
- Draft and prepare Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with comprehensive narratives, supporting documentation, and clear articulation of suspicious patterns; ensure timely filing in accordance with BSA/AML regulatory deadlines.
- Prepare clear investigative reports, document findings, and recommend follow-up actions to internal stakeholders, auditors, and compliance leadership.
- Provide Financial Crimes support to frontline teams and internal business units by offering guidance on fraud prevention, suspicious activity indicators, and compliance best practices.
- Maintain strong working knowledge of emerging fraud trends, AML regulations, and industry developments while completing assigned tasks with accuracy, meeting required SLAs, and communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Fraud and Risk Analyst
Liberty One Credit Union
Dallas, Texas
09.2022 - 04.2024
- Monitor, analyze, and investigate transactions across debit/credit card, ACH, P2P, wire, and bill payment channels to identify suspicious activity, fraud indicators, and high-risk behavioral patterns involving ATO, synthetic identity fraud, CNP fraud, and first-party fraud.
Utilize advanced fraud detection and AML tools—such as Actimize, Verafin, FICO, Imagesoft, Clear, World-Check, and OSINT sources—to proactively identify emerging fraud typologies and mitigate risk exposure.
Conduct detailed investigations on unauthorized activity claims and analyze merchant documentation to determine chargeback eligibility in accordance with network regulations and internal policies.
Prepare, document, and maintain accurate investigative records including fraud attempts, loss events, trend insights, and detailed case notes to support regulatory audits and internal reporting.
Draft comprehensive Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and file them in accordance with BSA/AML regulatory requirements, ensuring clear articulation of red flags, patterns, and justification for suspicion.
Engage with account holders, victims, and suspected fraud actors to obtain clarifications and supporting documentation, while providing cross-functional guidance to internal operational teams on fraud-related decisions.
Ensure timely review and resolution of alerts and cases, exercise independent judgment in risk-based decision-making, and communicate significant fraud trends, risks, and process improvement recommendations to management.If you want, I can also plug this directly into your full résumé or convert it into a professional experience section.
Due Diligence Analyst
Hillcrest Bank
Dallas, Texas
03.2020 - 07.2022
- Ensure full compliance with KYC, CIP, and regulatory standards by conducting detailed reviews during onboarding, periodic refreshes, and remediation efforts, identifying documentation gaps and resolving deficiencies for both personal and business accounts.
- Perform comprehensive AML screenings and CDD/EDD investigations for new and existing customers, assessing risk levels, validating customer profiles, and escalating high-risk or complex findings—including PEPs and adverse media—to management as required.
- Conduct deep-dive research using OSINT and third-party intelligence tools (Google, LexisNexis, World-Check, etc.) to uncover negative news, verify customer legitimacy, and support enhanced due diligence for high-risk clients.
- Draft detailed, well-structured investigative reports with full documentation for high-risk individuals and businesses, including risk assessments, transaction analysis summaries, findings, and recommendations aligned with regulatory requirements.
- Respond to daily inquiries from frontline staff, relationship managers, and internal partners, providing expert guidance on KYC/CIP requirements, documentation standards, and due diligence expectations.
- Manage case queues and prioritize tasks to consistently meet strict deadlines, regulatory timeframes, and internal SLAs while maintaining accurate, complete, and audit-ready customer records.
- Exercise sound judgment when escalating discrepancies or risk indicators, ensuring clear communication of concerns, thorough documentation of investigative findings, and proper reporting to BSA/AML supervisors, auditors, and regulatory examiners.
Education
Bachelor of Science - INDUSTRIAL RELATION AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS
LAGOS NIGERIA12-2014
Skills
- Fraud & Risk Analysis: Account review, anomaly detection, risk level determination, look-back projects, and investigation of diverse fraud typologies
- BSA/AML Compliance: SAR drafting and narrative writing, regulatory adherence (BSA, OFAC, USA PATRIOT Act), enhanced due diligence, and transaction monitoring
- Tools & Systems: Actimize, Mantas, ECM Case Management, Verafin, TRiPS, Fraud Portals, Salesforce, Epic, Dun & Bradstreet, CLEAR, World-Check, LexisNexis, OSINT/open-source tools
- Operational Excellence: Alert clearing, quality control, quality assurance, and documentation of investigative findings with high accuracy
- Technical Proficiency: Microsoft Excel (including pivot tables & macros), Word, and other Microsoft 365 applications
- Customer & Team Support: Strong customer relations, cross-functional collaboration, team coordination, and effective communication skills
- Report Writing & Compliance Documentation: Detailed investigative summaries, SAR narratives, regulatory reports, and audit-ready documentation
Certification
- CAMS - Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist - in view / March 2026
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Global Financial Crimes Investigator
Pegasus Bank
08.2024 - Current
Fraud and Risk Analyst
Liberty One Credit Union
09.2022 - 04.2024
Due Diligence Analyst
Hillcrest Bank
03.2020 - 07.2022
Bachelor of Science - INDUSTRIAL RELATION AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS