Last year at our Customer Forum, Juspal Manic, Chief Revenue Officer at Featurespace, sat down with Jamie Bartlett, journalist, author and host of the BBC podcast The Missing Crypto Queen, to unpack why fraud continues to succeed, and how technology and psychology can help in stopping it.

Despite new tools and tactics, today’s fraudsters rely on the same levers they always have: urgency, distraction and emotion. One of the most powerful is the ‘Fear Of Missing Out’. By implying others are already winning, scammers rush people into decisions they wouldn’t normally make.

The AI tipping point

What has changed is scale.

AI-powered phishing across email, voice, and video is making scams more convincing, more personalized, and harder to spot. As Jamie explains, the line between real and fake is blurring fast, increasing the chance of human error.

But AI is also used in the defense against rising fraud.

Understanding what “good” looks like

Juspal shares how Featurespace approaches fraud detection differently. By using Adaptive Behavioral Analytics, we build a deep understanding of normal behavior, so unusual activity stands out.

Rather than chasing every new fraud trend, this approach adapts as behavior changes, helping financial institutions stay ahead of fraud as tactics evolve.

The takeaway

Many scams look new. Most aren’t.

As Jamie puts it, beneath the surface you’ll often find the same social engineering and “too-good-to-be-true” schemes, and healthy skepticism and awareness remain some of our strongest defenses.

Watch the full conversation to hear how psychology, AI and behavioral analytics are reshaping the fight against fraud, and what organizations can do to stay ahead.