Senior Risk Strategy Expert @ Paysafe · PhD in Computer Science, UCL · Cybercrime & Financial Fraud Researcher
I work at the intersection of data analysis, financial crime, and risk strategy — turning complex data into decisions that mitigate cybercrime and keep people safer online.
Research & Impact
During my doctoral research, I devised novel methods to collect smishing data — from reports posted by users on online forums and an SMS scam honeypot, to blocked SMS texts and 7726 user reports from UK mobile network operators (including Google one-click reports), and newly registered phishing domains from an international threat intelligence organisation.
This work produced a taxonomy of SMS scams into two broad types: conversational scams (leading to Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, e.g. “Hi Mum/Dad” scams) and URL-based scams (leading to unauthorised fraud such as Card-Not-Present (CNP) remote purchase fraud). Findings were shared with the City of London Police, the NCA, regulators, mobile network operators, and financial institutions — through consultation responses, media coverage, and stakeholder discussions.
🇪🇸 Order TDF/149/2025 — Spain My response (PDF) to the public consultation by the Spanish Government on tackling telecom scams contributed to a new regulation (Order TDF/149/2025) by the Spanish Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Service to combat fraudulent calls and texts.
🇬🇧 Ofcom — UK My response (PDF) to Ofcom’s call for input on reducing mobile messaging scams contributed to Ofcom proposing new rules to protect people and businesses against mobile messaging scams.
Experience
Senior Risk Strategy Expert · Paysafe (2026 – present)
Threat Intelligence Researcher · Stop Scams UK (2023 – 2026)
Devised technical solutions and cross-sector data sharing to stop scams at source. Investigated “Hi Mum/Dad” scams, CNP fraud, and fake recruitment scams. Developed software to interact with scammers and collected intelligence signals including mule accounts, digital wallets, rogue merchants, and crypto wallets. Supplied intelligence packages to law enforcement.
Research Associate · Bristol Cyber Security Group (2021 – 2022)
Worked on the CyFoo project, funded by the PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity.
Research Scientist · CERN, Geneva (2018 – 2020)
Last position at the CMS Experiment’s Offline Computing Team; previously with the CERN Computer Security Team.
Education
PhD in Computer Science · University College London (UCL)
Thesis: Measuring Online Financial Fraud Originating from SMS Scams
Advised by Dr Marie Vasek and Prof. Steven J. Murdoch
MSc in Information Security · University College London (UCL)
Recipient of the Dean’s List Award for outstanding academic performance
Thesis: Investigating the Concentration of Online Ponzi Schemes in the United Kingdom — published at IEEE EuroS&PW’22
BTech in Computer Science & Engineering · VIT University, Chennai, India
Areas of Expertise
- Smishing & phishing detection
- Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud
- Card-Not-Present (CNP) / remote purchase fraud
- Risk strategy & policy design
- Threat intelligence
- Fraud pattern & behavioural data analysis
- Regulatory compliance
- Scam taxonomy & investigation
- Academic publishing & policy consultation
Other Projects
CS PhD Fellowships — A community resource helping PhD researchers find fellowships, inspired by CSStipendRankings. Contributions welcome via the project’s GitHub.
Yale Home Keyless Smart Lock vulnerability — Discovered an RFID-related vulnerability (CVE score 4.6) in Yale Home Keyless Smart Locks, reported to Assa Abloy/Yale Home. Product security advisory available here and on the Yale website.
Beyond Work
I was born and brought up in Dehradun, a small valley in the foothills of the Himalayas, India. In 2018 I moved to CERN in Geneva, and in 2020 to London to pursue my Master’s and I’ve been here since.
I’ve been fortunate to present at conferences and attend summer schools in Japan, the US, and across Europe. I’m a traveller, photographer, crime and thriller TV show enthusiast, and a self-confessed foodie — Indian cuisine still takes the top spot. During my PhD, I received the UK Global Talent Visa and have shared my application guide here.
Want to discuss cybersecurity or cybercrime? Let’s catch up over a cup of freshly brewed coffee ☕
Find my academic work on Google Scholar