The Truth About the F Word

Why “The Truth About the F Word”?

I saw fraud long before anyone said the word.
Throughout my career in banking and mortgage, I developed a sharp instinct for spotting it. When something felt off, I called it out. But instead of action, I was often met with a whisper:
“Shhh… don’t say the ‘F’ word.”

It wasn’t that fraud was ignored; it was tiptoed around. In finance, labeling something as fraud is a big deal. It requires evidence, investigation, and caution. But that caution? It creates silence.

And silence is exactly where fraud thrives.

That’s why I created The Truth About the F Word: to break that silence. To educate, empower, and shine a light on the many disguises fraud can wear.

Here, we don’t tiptoe.
We shine a light on it.
We expose it.
We teach others how to recognize the signs before it’s too late.

Because the best way to protect yourself isn’t by staying quiet. It’s by learning to see through the illusion. To pull back the curtain. To empower people with real stories, real warnings, and real tools to spot fraud before it spirals.

Let’s stop whispering.
Let’s talk about fraud.

For truth. For justice. For you.
With fierce love and unshakable truth,
💛
Melissa Brown, CFE
Founder, The Truth About the F Word