In this episode of Fraudology, Karisse Hendrick is joined by Keith Briscoe, VP of Education and Advocacy at the Merchant Risk Council (MRC). Keith shares his journey from marketing commodity transaction software in the late '90s to falling in love with the high-value world of fraud intelligence at Ethoca.

The conversation dives deep into the MRC's critical role in global advocacy, highlighting how they foster balanced dialogues between merchants, issuers, and card networks to create sustainable change. Keith provides an inside look at the recent evolution of Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) and the collaborative effort to make its thresholds and calculations more equitable for merchants.

We also explore the "hot topics" dominating the industry today:

1. Agentic Commerce: How AI-driven shopping agents are redefining liability and the "intention" behind a purchase.
2. Professional Certification: The growth of the CPFPP (Certified Payments and Fraud Prevention Professional) program and its role in standardizing expertise for the next generation of fraud fighters.
3. Event Innovation: A preview of the MRC’s new "Lightning Talks" in Las Vegas—bite-sized, high-impact sessions designed for a new generation of learners.