Career Plan in AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and Fraud Prevention

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The field of anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud prevention (Fraud Prevention) is one of the most sought-after in the financial sector. This area combines analytics, law and IT, offering high salaries and career growth.

1. Entry into the profession (0–1 year)​

Necessary skills:​

Basic understanding of AML/KYC (laws, regulators: FATF, FinCEN).
Knowledge of banking processes (payments, transactions, fraud methods).
Analytical thinking (working with data, identifying anomalies).
English (level B2+ for international standards).

How to start?​

• Education: CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) or ACFCS (Certified Financial Crime Specialist) courses .
• Internships: In banks, payment systems (Visa, Mastercard).
• First experience:
  • AML analyst at a bank (client verification, transaction monitoring).
  • Fraud operator in a fintech company (blocking fraudulent transactions).

2. Development (1–3 years)​

Deepening specialization:​

AML Analyst → Senior Analyst

• Working with suspicious transactions (STR – Suspicious Transaction Reports).
• Interaction with regulators.

Fraud Prevention → Fraud Investigation

• Analysis of schemes (phishing, social engineering, drops).
• Implementing rules for automatic detection (e.g. in Splunk/SQL).

What to study?​

Courses:

• Advanced CAMS (for international standards).
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) – fraud investigation.
• Python/SQL for data analysis (useful in AML automation).

Practice:

• Participation in investigations (for example, cases on sanctions lists).
• Study Blockchain Analytics (Chainalysis, TRM Labs) – if you are interested in crypto fraud.

3. Expert level (3–5+ years)​

Career options:​

AML Manager / Head of Compliance

• Development of AML/KYC policies for the company.
• Audit and interaction with regulators.

Fraud Investigation Team Lead

• Management of investigations, coordination with law enforcement agencies.
• Implementation of AI/ML for fraud detection.

Financial Criminologist (FinCrime Expert)

• Work in Big4 (KPMG, Deloitte, EY) or FinTech startups .
• AML consulting for banks and corporations.

What to learn next?​

• International standards: FATF, OFAC, EU AML Directives.
• Legal aspects: Sanctions law, GDPR.
• Data Science (if you are going into AML automation).

4. Top positions (5+ years)​

Chief Compliance Officer
Head of financial security in an international company
Cybercrime expert at Interpol / FATF

Where to look for work?​

• Banks.
• Fintech: PayPal, Revolut.
• Consulting: PwC, KPMG, Deloitte.
• Cryptocurrency companies: Binance, Chainalysis.

Useful Resources​

• Courses: ACAMS, CFE, Udemy (AML Basics).
• Books:
  • "The Anti-Money Laundering Handbook" (Wiley).
  • "Fraud Analytics Using Descriptive, Predictive, and Social Network Techniques".
• Communities: ACAMS.org, ACFCS, LinkedIn AML groups.

Conclusion​

A career in AML/Fraud Prevention means stability, high salaries, and fighting financial crime. Start with courses and internships, then choose a specialization and grow to top roles.

Need help choosing a course or finding a job? Write to us!