Location: Remote with potential travel of ~25-30% every month (T&E to be reimbursed at actuals)
Contract duration: 3-6 months with potential to be hired post 1st engagement period
Rate: $65/hour for initial contract with ~150-160 hours/ month
Key Responsibilities:
Experience with Merchant Fraud Analytics is must
Lead end-to-end investigations into merchant-related fraud, including application & synthetic identities, shell companies, transaction laundering, and, Card-not-present (CNP) fraud (e-commerce, mobile, digital wallets), ATO (account take-over)
Control Testing & Mitigation: Evaluate internal card issuance / merchant acquisition and transaction controls to identify gaps, recommend changes in rules, limits, and transaction workflows
Develop and implement merchant fraud detection strategies, leveraging onboarding data, transaction patterns, and behavioral analytics, merchant collusive chargebacks.
Collaborate with underwriting, onboarding, compliance, and legal teams to assess merchant risk and take timely action (e.g., holds, terminations, SAR filings).
Monitor high-risk verticals and merchant categories, identifying emerging fraud typologies and recommending mitigation strategies.
Ensure compliance with card network rules (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and regulatory requirements (e.g., PCI DSS, AML, PSD2), Coordinate with issuing banks, merchants, processors, and networks (Visa, MasterCard, etc.) on disputes and investigations
Oversee merchant fraud case management, ensuring thorough documentation, root cause analysis, and reporting to internal and external stakeholders, support chargeback resolution and fraud recovery efforts
Represent the organization in external forums, including card scheme investigations, law enforcement inquiries, and industry working groups
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Risk Management, Criminology, or a related field
Professional certifications such as CFE (preferred) and/or PCI ISA are highly recommended
8+ years of experience in fraud investigation in a Payment Operations division with at least 3–5 years in merchant services or acquiring risk within a PSP or acquiring bank
Deep understanding of merchant onboarding, MCC risk, transaction laundering, and chargeback abuse
Proficiency in fraud detection and case management tools
Good analytical skills with experience in SQL, Python, or other data analysis tools, and familiarity with AI based tools preferred.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions
Preferred Attributes:
Experience with US Domestic acquiring and SMB merchants highly preferred
Experience working with Big-4 or large scale audit firm with forensic practice will be a big plus
Familiarity with real-time fraud monitoring systems and machine learning-based detection models
Ability to work in a fast-paced, regulated fintech environment with evolving fraud threats
