It was sixth grade. I was nominated to the schools Spelling Bee even though I was arguably one of the worst spellers in my class. And surprisingly, I was the only boy against nine girls.
I guess it was no surprise that the boys in class rooted me on, collectively sighing every time I got a word right and then clapping and cheering to keep motivating me on.
One by one, everyone dropped off and I was the last person standing. Somehow, against all the odds I won the spelling bee that day.
I was shocked. My teacher was shocked. But the boys in the class picked were thrilled. They picked me up on their shoulders and held my trophy up and chanted my name.
They lifted me up and I was soaring inside. I had represented the boys and I had won for them. 
From One Shoulder Ride to Another
Something magical happened last week, that took me back to sixth grade. And it caught me by surprise.
PJ Rohall and Ronald Praetsch surprised me with a Lifetime Achievement award at Fraud Fight Club and called me on stage to accept it.
As I walked on stage, a room full of fraud fighters cheered for me, showering me with overwhelming kindness that I felt in my heart.
Here I was being lifted up again.
This time instead of the boys lifting me up, it was the fraud fighters. They were lifting me up and cheering against the fraudsters and all the evil in the world we collectively fight together.
From The Front Row – LifeLong Fraud Fighting Friends
As I walked up the stage, something caught my eye. The entire front row, leaped to their feet to cheer me. I felt the love shooting right out at me like a tidal wave.
I felt like I belonged, and I felt accepted for what I do.
I didn’t learn until later that my lifelong fraud fighting friends had learned of the award earlier and strategically placed themself in the front row to be right there with me.
Each one of them, infinitely more deserving then me, just wanted to make sure I knew they were there for me.
Vulnerability as Strength: The PJ Rohall Effect
It’s no secret PJ Rohall struggles at times with anxiety – a fact that he readily admits on social media. But it is this very open vulnerability that is his strength and his power.
As PJ gave me a heartwarming speech that day, I realized his own journey with confidence and worthiness is a vulnerability that makes him exceptionally skilled at lifting others.
He has repeatedly done that for me and countless others. That’s just who PJ is.
His vulnerability has created a powerful bond that has transferred to, and defines the Fraud Fight Club.
We are all human. We all need each other. And that’s why Fraud Fight Club exist.
Magic Captured: Finding Your Fraud Fighting Family
I have been to Money2020, have you? I’ve seen the $300,000 fraud vendor booths in the exhibit hall, each one bigger and better and more stunning than the next. It’s awe inspiring in many ways.
Fraud Fight Club had no fancy booths. No headlining bands like Foreigner 4 played. Lines did not wrap around the Starbucks for hours.
But it captured something intangible and something more powerful than I have ever felt at Money2020 – togetherness and community. That was the magic that Fraud Fight Club created.
The feeling of family was everywhere. From the moment I stepped into the conference, I felt a connection unlike any other conference I have ever been too. Friends were everywhere.
I am sure I am not the only one to feel like that because I could see it all around me.
Maybe Bradley Haacke put it best. When I asked him what he thought of the conference he said, “I felt like I belonged”.
You see FFC was more about the people then the booths, or even the sessions. Fraud Fight Club was about finding your family and feeling like you are a part of the strongest army in the world.
Fraud fighters aren’t just colleagues who share information about the latest schemes. And Fraud Fight Club wasn’t just that either which is why it worked.
Fraud Fighters are lifelong friends bound by a shared enemy and a commitment to protecting the vulnerable. And thats why fraudsters will never win the war.
No fraud fighter stands alone. To defeat one, you’d have to defeat us all.
Someone To Have Your Back When You Need It 
I learned something new at Fraud Fight Club. And that is that the generosity of spirit of fraud fighters is our secret weapon.
We are a collective force that no fraudster can defeat. We are not competitive. We are a collaboration. We are a unified force. When one fraud fighter succeeds, we all succeed.
When people in that room stood for me, they stood for all of us. With Fraud Fight Club, there is always someone to have your back when you need it.
Thank you to PJ Rohall, Ronald Praetsch and of course Alicia Malouff and Bianca Lopes for pulling off a magical event.
