Fraud Investigation Team Lead

About Us

Wallester is a cutting-edge financial technology company that specializes in providing innovative solutions for businesses seeking to modernize their payment systems. By offering white-label card issuance platforms, seamless integration with existing infrastructure, and comprehensive support for both digital and physical cards, Wallester empowers companies to enhance their financial services and customer experience. Recognized as a leader in the FinTech space, Wallester has earned a reputation for its state-of-the-art technology, security, and scalability. Whether you are a startup or an established enterprise, Wallester delivers flexible, reliable solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of the digital economy.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, supervise, and develop a team of Fraud and Dispute Handling Specialists (initially 2–3 investigators), including setting priorities, allocating caseloads, and conducting regular performance reviews.
• Provide day-to-day guidance and quality assurance on fraud investigations, dispute handling, and chargeback processing conducted by the team.
• Identify training needs and support team members' professional development, including knowledge of emerging fraud typologies and regulatory updates.
• Act as an escalation point for complex, high-value, or sensitive fraud and dispute cases.
• Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of new team members as the function scales.

Fraud Investigation & Operations

• Oversee and, where necessary, directly conduct investigations into suspected fraudulent card transactions, account takeovers, identity fraud, first-party fraud, and other relevant fraud typologies.
• Ensure timely and thorough investigation of customer disputes and chargebacks in accordance with Visa scheme rules and applicable regulatory timelines.
• Review and approve fraud investigation reports, ensuring case documentation meets internal standards and external audit/supervisory requirements.
• Monitor fraud-detection alerts generated by transaction-monitoring systems; assess patterns, anomalies, and emerging threats; and escalate to the Head of AFC Investigations when systemic risks are identified.
• Collaborate with the other teams and the MLRO to ensure that fraud cases with potential money-laundering or terrorist-financing indicators are identified and referred for SAR/STR filing, where required under RahaPTS.

Visa Scheme Reporting & Liaison

• Serve as the primary point of contact for fraud-related matters with the company's card payment partner, Visa.
• Collect, verify, and submit fraud-related data and incident notifications to Visa in accordance with Visa's fraud reporting requirements, including but not limited to:
  • Timely submission of fraud data through Visa's reporting platforms (e.g., Visa Resolve Online – VROL, Visa Risk Manager – VRM) within prescribed deadlines;
  • Monitoring the company's fraud-to-sales ratios and ensuring they remain within Visa's Global Merchant Chargeback Monitoring Programme (GMCMP) and Visa Fraud Monitoring Programme (VFMP) thresholds;
  • Responding to Visa inquiries, dispute representations, and pre-arbitration/arbitration proceedings within applicable timeframes;
  • Coordinating with internal teams to ensure accurate and complete transaction-level data is available for Visa submissions.
• Track changes to Visa Core Rules and operational bulletins relevant to fraud and disputes, and ensure the team's processes remain compliant.

Regulatory Reporting – Finantsinspektsioon (FSA)

• Collect, verify, and prepare fraud-related statistical and incident reports required by the authorities in accordance with applicable obligations, including:
  • Periodic fraud data reporting under PSD2 / MERAS and EBA fraud reporting guidelines, including transaction-level and aggregate fraud statistics by payment instrument and fraud type;
  • Major operational and security incident notifications under PSD2 / MERAS and DORA, where incidents have a fraud dimension;
  • Ad hoc supervisory requests and responses to FSA or other authorities' inquiries relating to fraud trends, investigation outcomes, or control effectiveness.
  • Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timely submission of all FSA fraud reports; maintain a clear audit trail of data sources, validation steps, and submission records.
• Liaise with the Head of AFC Investigations and, as required, the relevant Compliance Officer to ensure regulatory reports reflect the company's actual fraud risk profile and remediation efforts.

Process Development & Governance

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve fraud investigation procedures, escalation matrices, and dispute handling workflows, taking into account regulatory requirements and Visa scheme rules.
• Support the design and optimisation of fraud-detection rules and transaction monitoring typologies in collaboration with the risk and technology teams.
• Maintain the fraud case management system and ensure data quality, completeness, and appropriate access controls.
• Contribute to the preparation of internal management information reports on fraud trends, investigation KPIs, chargeback ratios, and team performance for the Head of AFC Investigations.
• Assist in the development and delivery of fraud awareness and anti-fraud training for other internal stakeholders.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• A bachelor's degree (or higher) in Finance, Law, Criminology, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 3–5 years of hands-on experience in card fraud investigation, dispute management, or financial crime operations, preferably in a payment institution, e-money institution, fintech, or card issuer/acquirer environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing or mentoring a team, including case allocation, quality review, and performance management.
• Strong working knowledge of Visa scheme rules, chargeback processes, and Visa dispute resolution tools (VROL, VRM or equivalent).
• Familiarity with EU and Estonian regulatory requirements applicable to fraud and payment services, including PSD2/MERAS, AMLD/RahaPTS, and EBA fraud reporting guidelines.
• Experience preparing regulatory reports or submissions for a financial supervisory authority is a strong advantage.
• Professional certifications such as ACAMS, CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner), ICA, or equivalent are an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong ability to lead a small investigative team, set clear expectations, provide constructive feedback, and foster a culture of accuracy and accountability. Leadership & coaching:
• Ability to review complex transaction patterns, identify root causes of fraud, and translate findings into actionable insights and process improvements. Analytical rigour:
• Sound understanding of the regulatory environment for payment institutions in the EU and Estonia; ability to interpret regulatory guidance and apply it to operational contexts. Regulatory literacy:
• Clear and structured written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to prepare formal regulatory submissions and scheme reports to a high standard. Estonian language skills are an advantage. Communication:
• Comfortable engaging with external parties, including Visa representatives and FSA supervisors, as well as internal senior management. Stakeholder management:
• High level of professional ethics and sound decision-making in sensitive and high-stakes situations. Integrity & judgement:
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

 

Language Requirements

• English: Fluent (required) — primary language of work, regulatory submissions, and Visa communications.
• Estonian: Desirable — for FSA submissions and local regulatory engagement.

We offer

• Competitive salary
• Career opportunities
• Medical Insurance upon the completion of the probationary period
• Supportive and caring Leadership
• A modern office in the center of Tallinn
• A chance to work as part of a highly motivated and talented team
• Referral program
• Stebby
• Team building and Company Events
• Free parking 

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