FRAUD FIGHTER SPOTLIGHT

This month, we’re spotlighting Christian Sais of NationsBenefits. As Director of Product Management, Christian’s work helps protect senior-citizen Medicare Advantage members, an especially vulnerable population, from financial fraud. 

For Christian, fraud prevention is more than a technical discipline. It’s a shared responsibility rooted in financial literacy, vigilance, and a commitment to protecting those who may not always see fraud coming.

Plaid: How did you first get into fraud prevention?

Christian: I was building my first point-of-sale product. From the beginning, we knew we would be handling settlement directly to our end-user merchants, which meant we needed strong KYC and KYB processes to onboard the right merchants and protect the ecosystem.

That work required us to think carefully about identity, compliance, and merchant risk from day one. Plaid Identity Verification, Identity, and Monitor have been instrumental in that effort since the end of 2023, helping us build the right foundation for onboarding, screening, and fraud prevention.

Plaid: What keeps you interested or motivated in this line of work?

Christian: Fraud is a persistent threat happening all around us, all the time. It’s important to stay aware of that risk in order to protect our own financial security. It’s that awareness that gives this work meaning for me. I see it as a calling to help protect the financial integrity of hardworking, honest, and often vulnerable people who may be less aware of the risks around them. Contributions from experts in this field benefit the greater good, helping create a broader, shared defense against financial fraud. I’m proud to be part of it.

Plaid: What’s the toughest part of fighting fraud today?

Christian: The toughest part is the speed at which fraud schemes are changing, especially now that they’re being supercharged by AI. Rather than maintaining a proactive lead in mitigating threats to the financial ecosystem, it feels like the world is constantly in reactive mode. Fraudsters move quickly, and the tools available to them are becoming more sophisticated. That makes it even more important for companies to stay ahead of emerging patterns, invest in the right controls, and think proactively instead of only responding after the fact.

Plaid: What are you most proud of when you think about your fraud fighting career?

Christian: I’m proud of how quickly I was able to build expertise in an area I initially knew very little about. When I first needed to understand fraud prevention, I had to become knowledgeable very quickly in order to protect our end users and the company during implementation. Through tireless research, I gained the knowledge needed to help identify risks, design controls, and protect the business from financial fraud.

That experience taught me that you don't need to begin as an expert to make a meaningful impact, nor do you need special resources to understand financial fraud; you just need curiosity, urgency, humility, and a willingness to do the work.

Plaid: What’s one thing you wish more people understood about fraud prevention?

Christian: That it truly takes a village. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be educated in fintech, financial ecosystems, money movement, and fraud have an obligation to educate and protect the people around us. Too often, financial literacy is treated like a domain-kept secret that only benefits lenders and fraudsters. The more people understand how money moves, how financial systems work, and how fraudsters exploit gaps in knowledge, the better protected everyone becomes.

Plaid: What impresses you about NationsBenefits’ approach to fraud prevention?

Christian: NationsBenefits has a distinct responsibility because of the population we serve. Our demographic of senior-citizen Medicare Advantage members is among the most vulnerable to financial fraud attacks. 

From day one, NationsBenefits has taken that responsibility seriously. The company has sought to implement best practices to protect against account takeover, social engineering, and transaction velocity attacks, while also protecting ourselves and our clients from federal penalties.

Plaid has been an immensely effective partner in helping us strengthen these areas with supplemental services and expertise that can’t be built in-house overnight. That combination of strong internal commitment and trusted external support has been critical.

Plaid: How has Plaid supported your work?

Christian: How haven’t they? Our OFAC exposure has been crystal clean. We’ve identified more fraudsters than we can enumerate, and we’ve established baseline trust metrics on millions of end users. Plaid has helped us build confidence across identity, screening, and fraud prevention workflows. As we look to expand, we’ll be able to launch more financial products with confidence because of Plaid’s supportive team and anti-fraud ecosystem.

Plaid: What advice would you give someone just starting out in a similar career to yours?

Christian: Don’t be afraid to fail. Implement, learn, iterate, and correct your mistakes. True growth and confidence do not come from pretending to be an expert, but by truly learning and accumulating the skills and knowledge you need to become an asset wherever you go. In short: easy choices, hard life; hard choices, easy life!