ACAMS Malta Chapter May 2026 Virtual Event: From Threat to Defense in an AI World: Key Fraud Trends and Preventive Measures

Dustin J. Eaton is a recognized thought leader in financial crime prevention, AI governance, and AML/fraud program design. As Principal of Fraud & AML at Taktile, he leads the development of AI-driven decision intelligence solutions for financial institutions worldwide. He serves as an External Faculty Member and regular columnist for ACAMS.

His work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, regulatory compliance, and investigative practice — with particular expertise in synthetic identity fraud, deepfake-enabled financial crime, AI model risk management, and the operationalization of AI within regulated financial services. He has authored over 30 articles and publications across industry-leading platforms and regularly presents to banking, law enforcement, and compliance audiences on emerging AI-driven threats. 

Kadir Serkan Gurbuzoglu is the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) at Garanti BBVA Malta Branch, with more than 20 years of banking experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, an MBA, and CAMS and Advanced CAMS-RM (Risk Management) certifications. 

He serves as a board member of the ACAMS Malta Chapter as the director of programming and he contributes to CAMS Study Guide content and CAMS exam questions as part of the ACAMS Task Force, with his contributions acknowledged in the CAMS Study Guide. He is also involved in the local AML community through his roles at the Malta Bankers’ Association standing committees and through several PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) such as JEFSI (Joint Economic & Financial Sanctions Implementing Task Force), Malta Financial Services Authority`s Public-Private Partnership on Fraud Detection and Prevention. 

Dustin J. Eaton is a recognized thought leader in financial crime prevention, AI governance, and AML/fraud program design. As Principal of Fraud & AML at Taktile, he leads the development of AI-driven decision intelligence solutions for financial institutions worldwide. He serves as an External Faculty Member and regular columnist for ACAMS.

His work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, regulatory compliance, and investigative practice — with particular expertise in synthetic identity fraud, deepfake-enabled financial crime, AI model risk management, and the operationalization of AI within regulated financial services. He has authored over 30 articles and publications across industry-leading platforms and regularly presents to banking, law enforcement, and compliance audiences on emerging AI-driven threats. 

Kadir Serkan Gurbuzoglu is the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) at Garanti BBVA Malta Branch, with more than 20 years of banking experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, an MBA, and CAMS and Advanced CAMS-RM (Risk Management) certifications. 

He serves as a board member of the ACAMS Malta Chapter as the director of programming and he contributes to CAMS Study Guide content and CAMS exam questions as part of the ACAMS Task Force, with his contributions acknowledged in the CAMS Study Guide. He is also involved in the local AML community through his roles at the Malta Bankers’ Association standing committees and through several PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) such as JEFSI (Joint Economic & Financial Sanctions Implementing Task Force), Malta Financial Services Authority`s Public-Private Partnership on Fraud Detection and Prevention. 

Andrew is an independent AML/CFT Compliance Consultant currently engaged in the Caribbean, Malta and other International Financial Centres. Previously Andrew was the Head of Financial Crime Threat Mitigation for HSBC in Malta. This role involved identifying, understanding and mitigating the financial crime risks in Malta and transnationally through Investigations, Analytics and Intelligence.

Andrew enjoyed a career in the Royal Navy where his early sea-going deployments included the Caribbean for hurricane relief and counter-narcotics operations, and global deployments to the Middle East and Far East for defence engagement and security assurance operations. He undertook a number of operational deployments in the Balkans (2003) in support of investigations into war criminal financial facilitation and support networks, Iraq (2004 and 2007) investigating Iraqi WMD sanctions evasions and terrorist networks, Afghanistan (2009), and Bahrain (2011) for maritime security operations, counter-narcotics, counter-piracy and counter-terrorism roles in the Gulf and Indian Ocean.

Andrew served in the Ministry of Defence in London and the NATO Headquarters in Naples, Italy and also spent 4 years as a liaison officer in Washington DC where his remit included geo-political analysis, counter-terrorism, technology and innovation design and acquisition, and specialising in Threat Finance (the Department of Defense term for hybrid AML/CFT warfare) in relation to homeland security threats. This involved working closely with international intelligence and law enforcement agencies, academia, think-tanks, regulators and vendors.

Andrew is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI). He is Co-Chair of the ACAMS Malta Chapter and a former member of the Washington DC Chapter. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Queen Mary, University of London and a Master’s degree with Distinction in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College, London with a dissertation focused on the use of intelligence in financial institutions for AML/CFT Compliance. Following a Master’s level module at the United Nations’ University for Peace (UPEACE), his current academic interests are the Crime-Terror Nexus in Relation to Illicit Finance, Moving from Follow the Money to Getting Ahead of the Money through Predictive Intelligence, and Financial Intelligence as a New Intelligence Discipline.

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Maria Callus is an Assistant Manager within the Financial Crime Compliance Function at the Malta Financial Services Authority, bringing over seven years of experience in AML/CFT supervision. In her role, she leads and contributes to risk-based supervisory examinations of licensed entities. She is also actively engaged in regulatory and policy development, represents the Authority in EU-level fora, and contributes to national training and industry outreach initiatives.

Maria is a member of the MFSA’s Public-Private Partnership on fraud, an initiative that brings together key public authorities and leading financial institutions to enhance national coordination in the detection, prevention, and disruption of increasingly sophisticated financial fraud, with a particular emphasis on retail payment fraud.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Banking and Finance from the University of Malta and a Master’s degree in Forensic Accounting from the University of Portsmouth. Maria is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS), holds the International Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering from the University of Manchester, and is also certified as an Advanced Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI).

Ryan Caruana holds the position of Group Chief Anti-Financial Crime Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, in which he drives strategic initiatives, enhances the organisation’s resilience, and fosters partnerships for effective financial crime risk management.

Mr Caruana is a seasoned professional with an extensive background in law enforcement, investigations, financial intelligence, and financial crime risk assessments. He possesses a deep understanding of the financial crime landscapes and regulatory frameworks through his experiences and assignments both locally and on the international scene.

For the past years, Ryan has been an MLRO and Head of Financial Crime Compliance, ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures. Ryan holds a Master Degree (MSc) in Forensic Accounting from Portsmouth University UK, a Master Degree in Business Administration from Chester University UK, a graduate from the International Compliance Association (ICA) and a Certified Anti-Financial Crime Professional (CAFCP).

Dustin J. Eaton is a recognized thought leader in financial crime prevention, AI governance, and AML/fraud program design. As Principal of Fraud & AML at Taktile, he leads the development of AI-driven decision intelligence solutions for financial institutions worldwide. He serves as an External Faculty Member and regular columnist for ACAMS.

His work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, regulatory compliance, and investigative practice — with particular expertise in synthetic identity fraud, deepfake-enabled financial crime, AI model risk management, and the operationalization of AI within regulated financial services. He has authored over 30 articles and publications across industry-leading platforms and regularly presents to banking, law enforcement, and compliance audiences on emerging AI-driven threats. 

Sarah Vella is a Senior Analyst within the Financial Crime Compliance Function at the Malta Financial Services Authority, where she focuses on strategy, policy and risk. With four years of experience at the Authority, she has developed strong expertise in financial crime prevention, complemented by prior experience in the private sector. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Public Policy and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Malta and recently completed a Diploma in Financial Crime Prevention.

Sarah is an active member in a number of working groups and committees, both locally and internationally. She is also a member of the MFSA’s Public-Private Partnership on fraud, an initiative that brings together key public authorities and financial institutions to enhance national coordination in the detection, prevention, and disruption of increasingly sophisticated financial fraud, with a particular emphasis on retail payment fraud.

Meaghan Wood is an Azure Cloud & AI Platforms Specialist at Microsoft, advising enterprise executive leadership teams focused on modernizing Governance, Risk, & Compliance through data, technology, and AI. With over 20 years of experience spanning banking, fintech, and consulting, she brings deep expertise in credit risk, underwriting, regulatory policy, and enterprise technology transformation. She’s focused on designing scalable, cost-optimized cloud and AI solutions that strengthen fraud detection, enhance regulatory agility, and unlock enterprise data value. Her work bridges the gap between innovation and risk management, helping organizations mitigate emerging threats across increasingly complex, cross-border financial ecosystems. Passionate about advancing the fight against financial crime, Meaghan brings a practitioner’s perspective shaped by roles across the three lines of defense and collaboration with global institutions, regulators, and technology partners.