Sandhya L

Results-driven Fraud & Risk Specialist with over 6 years of experience in financial crime prevention, transaction monitoring, AML/KYC compliance, SAR/STR drafting & filing, and risk mitigation within global institutions including Goldman Sachs and Cognizant. Skilled in end-to-end suspicious activity investigations, regulatory report preparation under FinCEN guidelines, account takeover cases, identity theft reviews, and fraud trend analysis. Recognized for strong analytical capabilities, regulatory adherence, and collaborative stakeholder engagement.

Specialist, Fraud & Risk - Goldman Sachs

(2023-12 - 2026-02)

• Conducted end-to-end investigations on account takeovers, identity theft, and unauthorized transactions, escalating high-risk cases for SAR filing.
• Drafted and filed Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with FinCEN in accordance with BSA requirements, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely submission within regulatory deadlines.
• Prepared Financial Intelligence Cases (FICs) documenting suspicious transaction narratives, typology identification, and supporting evidence for regulatory review.
• Performed transaction monitoring and external account linkage analysis to detect structuring, layering, and other suspicious activities warranting STR/SAR escalation.
• Executed KYC verification and AML compliance checks aligned with BSA/AML regulatory requirements, flagging anomalies for further investigation.
• Reviewed ODFI/RDFI transactions ensuring payment integrity and mitigation of PII risks.
• Collaborated with compliance, legal, and cross-functional teams to refine SAR thresholds, fraud detection frameworks, and risk policies.
• Initiated recovery actions to minimize financial losses and strengthen fraud prevention controls.

Senior Process Executive, Fraud & Risk Operations - Cognizant Technology Solutions

(2019-08 - 2023-12)

• Investigated high-risk transactions related to fraud, chargeback abuse, and identity manipulation; escalated confirmed suspicious activity for regulatory reporting.
• Supported AML/KYC investigations and assisted in preparation of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), ensuring detailed narrative documentation and timely filing.
• Conducted fraud trend analysis to identify emerging financial crime typologies, improving detection rules and SAR/STR trigger accuracy.
• Managed alert reviews, internal audits, and quality assurance processes, maintaining a high accuracy rate across case dispositions.
• Delivered training sessions on AML red flags, SAR/STR filing obligations, and fraud typologies to junior team members.
• Coordinated with clients on SLA adherence, WBRs, and MBR performance metrics.

Bachelor of Commerce - Commerce - Sri Aurobindo First Grade Degree College, Bangalore (2019)

Pre-University Course - Commerce - Sri Aurobindo PU College for Women, Bangalore (2016)