[Hiring] Head of Anti-Fraud @Mercuryo

Role Description

The Head of Anti-Fraud runs Mercuryo's fraud prevention function and reports directly to the Head of AML Operations. The role owns fraud risk across the on/off-ramp widget, wallet, swaps and card acquiring pay-ins and pay-outs:

• Detection rules
• Investigations
• Chargeback and card scheme exposure
• Checking that partners and merchants use our products only where we approved them

We need an experienced, hands-on leader who has run large-scale fraud investigations, can find weaknesses in controls, and can redesign the procedures, rules and tooling to close them. Detailed knowledge of Visa and Mastercard rules is essential, in particular the programmes covering merchant integrity, fraud and dispute ratios, and transaction laundering.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years in fraud prevention in payments, card acquiring, a PSP or EMI, or crypto, including at least 3 years leading a fraud team or function, preferably one spread across several countries.
• Has personally led large-scale fraud investigations from detection to resolution, such as card-testing attacks, mule networks, account takeover rings or merchant collusion, and produced evidence for acquirers, card schemes or law enforcement.
• Has redesigned fraud controls and procedures after an audit, a scheme notice or a major incident, and can show the effect on losses and ratios.
• Has handled acquirer RFIs, remediation plans and scheme programme cases directly.

Requirements

• Visa: VAMP, VIRP, TC40 fraud reporting, dispute rules including Compelling Evidence 3.0, and the pre-dispute tools Order Insight and RDR.
• Mastercard: ECP, EFM, the Global Merchant Audit Program (GMAP) due in April 2027, BRAM, GRIP, the Scam Merchant Monitoring Program, the Merchant Monitoring Program and its registered providers, Fraud and Loss Database (SAFE) reporting, MATCH and Ethoca alerts.
• How these rules apply to a crypto merchant of record (MCC 6051) whose payments are offered through partners and resellers, including exposure from transaction laundering.
• 3-D Secure and Strong Customer Authentication, including exemptions and liability shift.
• Has owned a rules-based fraud engine: rules, lists, velocity limits, device fingerprinting, BIN and geo controls, with back-testing or shadow mode before release.
• Writes SQL, builds dashboards in Metabase or a similar tool, and analyses large transaction datasets personally.
• Has designed detection for transaction laundering and unauthorized website use, including test purchases through multi-step checkouts, redirect and referrer analysis, and measurement of a monitoring provider's detection rate and false positives.
• Has run a fraud risk assessment covering external and internal fraud, using COSO or ACFE fraud risk guidance.
• Writes clear procedures that pass internal audit and regulator review, and keeps evidence that controls operate as written.
• Understands where fraud meets AML, including mule networks, SAR escalation and sanctions screening, and has built AML controls on a fraud platform.
• Gets engineering priority for control work by presenting clear data on losses and scheme exposure.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Benefits

• Competitive market rate salary and performance-based incentives.
• 22 days annual leave with an additional 6 company days, plus bank holidays.
• Comprehensive health insurance plans.
• Maternity & Paternity leave support.
• Extensive benefits program.
• Flexible work schedule and remote work options.
• Modern offices and co-working spaces across 6 countries.
• Working equipment.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Opportunity to shape the initiatives you’re working on.
• Diverse and friendly team.
• We are open-minded to new ideas.