Sonia Omashaye

Fraud:

• Monitor and review account activity and transactions to spot unusual patterns, or signs of potential fraud.
• Use fraud detection tools and systems to proactively identify and help prevent fraudulent activity.
• Clearly document fraud attempts, emerging patterns, and loss incidents for tracking and analysis.
• Communicate with account holders, victims, and—when necessary—fraudsters to gather additional details and supporting evidence.
• Investigate and process customer claims of unauthorized transactions across debit cards, credit cards, ACH, P2P, and bill payments using multiple internal platforms.

AML:

• Experienced in drafting and filing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) narratives in alignment with regulatory standards.
• Conduct investigative reviews and analyses to support the organization's compliance with BSA/AML regulations, including evaluating alerts generated by transaction monitoring systems, and referrals from law enforcement or internal business units.
• Analyze transaction patterns and KYC data, perform due diligence research, and interpret findings from various internal and external tools to assess the legitimacy of customer behavior across multiple banking products.
• Document findings through clear and concise written narratives as part of the case investigation process.
• Assess whether customer activity should be escalated for further review, and provide recommendations on whether a SAR filing is warranted.
• Maintain comprehensive and well-organized documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal procedures.

• Conduct thorough Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews on high-risk customers and businesses — including politically exposed persons (PEPs), high-net-worth individuals, and those operating in high-risk regions — to identify potential risks, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Analyze customer activity in depth to determine whether it poses a risk or needs to be escalated, and prepare Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in Verafin for FinCEN when required.
• Conduct financial crime investigations, and prepare well-documented Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) for timely filing.
• Manage and prioritize workloads to meet critical deadlines and performance targets.
• Compile clear, detailed due diligence reports, with practical recommendations for management on high-risk or escalated cases.
• Support management with decision-making related to customer onboarding, ongoing monitoring, and determining whether to accept or mitigate risk.
• Identify areas where due diligence processes can be improved, and work closely with the compliance team to update procedures to align with regulatory changes and best practices.
• Help update and improve KYC, EDD, and CDD procedures by drafting policy updates, maintaining version control, and enhancing workflows, templates, and training resources.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams — including Retail, Business Banking, Fraud, Legal, and Compliance — to resolve complex cases. This includes sending Requests for Information (RFIs) to gather additional context, or documentation, to support reviews.
• Stay informed of ongoing regulatory updates related to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and AML laws, participating in continuous learning to stay current with industry expectations and trends. Support management in ensuring that the organization remains compliant and minimizes legal or reputational risks.

• Review and analyze suspicious transactions, accounts, and activities flagged by internal systems, or reported by external sources.
• Conduct thorough and impartial investigations into alleged fraudulent activities, gathering evidence, and documenting findings across financial, operational, and administrative areas.
• Conduct in-depth research and analysis to identify fraud patterns, vulnerabilities, and emerging threats to support risk mitigation efforts.
  Assist in identifying and obtaining forensic, policy, or other specialized expertise required for complex investigations.
• Conduct effective and ethical interviews with subjects, witnesses, and complainants, employing techniques to elicit pertinent information.
• Connect with internal stakeholders (e.g., staff, department heads) and external parties (e.g., financial institutions, law enforcement, and grant agencies) to gather information and facilitate investigations.
• Analyze data related to fraud incidents to quantify financial losses, and inform future prevention strategies.
• Draft and file SARs according to FINCEN requirements.
• Conduct special research projects relevant to fraud prevention and detection.
• Capture investigation details and findings during reviews and research to upload into our case management system for tracking and reporting purposes.
• Other risk management and security support activities, as needed.