A Scamdemic is something we could have never imagined, but with the evolution of blockchain, crypto and AI we are right in the middle of the new age of fraud. The best people to share what is at the heart of this systematic shift by criminals into the world of web3 are Caitlin Barnett (Director of Regulation & Compliance, Chainalysis ) and Trisha Kothari (CEO & Founder, Unit21 ). Trisha shares her journey from a Google intern to leading a successful Regtech startup that is at the intersection of AI and fraud prevention. The duo explore strategies from tech giants, the rise of AI in financial fraud and the increasing prevalence of scams in the crypto industry. Trisha shares Unit21's innovative approaches to data monitoring, fraud detection and leveraging AI to enhance compliance, while highlighting the challenges and innovations in fraud prevention and the focus on mission-driven solutions to combat financial crime. Minute-by-minute episode breakdown 2 | Trisha’s early experimentation experience as an intern at Google 4 | The current state of fraud and the acceleration of it using AI 6 | Fraud detection and prevention in crypto and financial sectors 11 | $25 Million deepfake scam on hedge fund using AI 14 | How AI is changing the future of fraud and compliance work 17 | Traditional KYC is dead! 20 | Is 2025 the year of the SCAMDEMIC? 23 | Reducing false positives in fraud detection with AI 25 | Entrepreneurship, mission-driven work and building a team at Unit21 27 | AI integrations to combat elderly fraud Related resources Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key. Website: Unit21: The best place to build web3 products Demo: Unit21 for Crypto and Web3 Companies Webinar: Automating L1 Reviews With Unit21's AI Agent (Feb.12 - 1pm EST) Report: Annual State of Fraud and AML Report Blog: 35% Year-over-Year Decrease in Ransomware Payments, Less than Half of Recorded Incidents Resulted in Victim Payments Blog: Chainalysis Launches Enhancements to Help Organizations Know Your VASP Report: The Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report (Reserve Your Copy Today) YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain Speakers on today’s episode Caitlin Barnett *Host* (Director of Regulation & Compliance, Chainalysis ) Trisha Kothari (CEO & Founder, Unit21 ) This website may contain links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein. Our podcasts are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Listeners should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Chainalysis. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Chainalysis employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
