Risk Investigator (Seasonal)

At UNIFY Financial Credit Union, we're proud to be one of the nation's top 100 credit unions - financially strong, member-focused, and growing fast. Our teams work together with one goal: providing superior service to our members. At UNIFY, your ideas matter, your growth matters, and you matter.

We're looking for an experienced Investigator to join our Risk team during the peak fraud season. In this role, you'll be on the front line of protecting UNIFY and our members by investigating fraud, analyzing risk patterns, and partnering across teams to stop financial crime in its tracks.

What You'll Do

• Lead investigations into suspected fraud - from account takeovers to check forgery to card compromises.
• Review daily system alerts (FIS, Verafin, and customized reports) to identify high-risk transactions and suspicious activity.
• Prepare filings and reports, including criminal complaints and SARs, and collaborate with law enforcement when needed.
• Partner with branches, the Contact Center, Collections, and other teams to guide responses and ensure compliance.
• Analyze fraud patterns, recommend countermeasures, and track the effectiveness of rules.
• Stay current on financial crime trends, BSA requirements, and compliance standards.

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of hands-on investigation experience in a financial institution.
• Strong knowledge of financial regulations and fraud reporting requirements.
• Excellent critical thinking, communication, and data analysis skills.
• Integrity and high ethical standards - you do the right thing, always.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree and/or certifications like CFE.
• Preferred: Experience with online banking/ACH investigations and tools like Microsoft Office, Verafin, FIS, and PACER.

Workstyle Expectations

• Onsite daily at our Allen, TX Operations Center. This role is not eligible for remote work.
• 9:00AM - 6:00PM CST; very occasional Saturday hours may be requested as needing during peak "Fraud season"

Overview:

UNIFY Financial Credit Union is one of the nation's largest 100 credit unions with a reputation for being financially sound and growth-oriented. We're expanding rapidly to meet the needs of a growing member base. At UNIFY, our team members work together to strive toward a common goal, "providing superior service to our members." In doing so, we promote a culture where your ideas matter, your growth matters, and you matter. We encourage all team members to challenge and encourage themselves and their teammates to work smarter and to be more successful

Summary:

The Risk Investigator is responsible for conducting thorough investigations into suspected fraudulent activities, mitigating financial losses, and supporting the overall fraud prevention and risk management strategies of the credit union.

Responsibilities:

• Focus on fraud detection, loss prevention, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and legal requirements to protect the credit union from financial crimes and fraudulent activities.
• Collaborate with internal teams, such as Branch Operations, Contact Center, Collections, and Risk Management, to address fraud concerns, share findings, and ensure effective fraud prevention measures are in place.
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in fraud detection and prevention and provide guidance to departments across the organization regarding fraud-related inquiries and potential fraud activities.
• Ensure compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Regulatory E, Regulatory Z, and other applicable financial regulations related to fraud detection and reporting.
• Review Fraud Monitoring Reports, Verafin system alerts, Fidelity Information Systems (FIS) fraud alerts, and other customized reports to identify suspicious accounts and fraudulent activity (counterfeiting, altered checks, account abuse, identity theft and the like) within the credit union's databases.
• Investigate member accounts suspected of fraud or abuse (card fraud, ACH fraud, identity theft, account takeovers, check fraud, and other financial crimes), take appropriate action (e.g., restricting accounts or services), and work with internal teams to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to prevent further fraudulent activity.
• Prepare detailed Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) detailing the findings of fraud investigations to comply with legal and regulatory requirements and submit to leadership; as well as, including statistical data and trend analysis, to inform of ongoing risk management strategies.
• Work with law enforcement or regulatory bodies on complex fraud cases.
• Maintain accurate documentation of investigations, including actions taken, results, and conclusions, to ensure regulatory compliance and to facilitate future audits or investigations.
• Support the development and implementation of fraud detection tools, strategies, and rules to detect fraud early and reduce financial crime risk.
• Contribute to card fraud analysis, including identifying fraud patterns and proposing fraud prevention rules to counteract attacks such as BIN attacks and card compromises.
• Participate in fraud awareness training and assist in developing educational materials to promote fraud prevention best practices across the organization.
• Contribute to User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and assist in the preparation of test scripts for new fraud detection features.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Experience, & Education:

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor's degree preferred (Business, Finance, Criminal Justice, or a related field).
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in fraud investigation, risk management, or a related role, preferably within a financial institution.
• Professional Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certification.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel and Word) and fraud detection systems such as Verafin, Fidelity Information Systems (FIS), or similar fraud detection tools.
• Strong understanding of relevant regulatory requirements related to fraud detection, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) regulations.
• Experience in fraud detection related to card payments, ACH transactions, identity theft, and account takeovers.
• Ability to manage confidential information and sensitive investigations with discretion.
• Strong organization and time management while handling multiple investigations simultaneously with strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, adapting to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication while interacting with internal teams, members, and external agencies.
• Willingness to stay informed and adaptable to evolving fraud detection technologies, regulatory changes, and emerging fraud trends.

See the UNIFY Difference!

At UNIFY, we believe that each team member is a valued contributor. Through a teamwork approach, we strive to provide a positive and rewarding workplace that helps our team succeed. UNIFY provides a work environment which promotes learning, growth, and the opportunity for team members to challenge themselves.

Competitive Compensation and Excellent Benefits Package* Includes:

Medical (PPO/HMO), Prescription, Dental (PPO/DMO), Vision, Life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Dependent and Medical Care - Flexible Spending Accounts

Vacation, Sick, Personal and Holiday Pay

401(K) Plan with employer match

Education reimbursement for approved programs

UNIFY banking privileges for you and your family

*All programs subject to review and change

An offer of employment is conditioned upon complying with UNIFY's requirements including, but not limited to, signing a consent to conduct a background investigation.

UNIFY is proud to be a drug-free, EOE including disability/vets. For more information on UNIFY, visit us at www.unifyfcu.com

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