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Webinar: Confessions of a Fraudster: Unpacking the Psychology, Prison Experience, and Path to Second Chances
PANEL DISCUSSION: FROM FRAUD TO FREEDOM
Understanding the Criminal Mind, Prison Reality, and the Path to Redemption
Date: Monday, 17 November 2025
Time: 10:00–12:00 (SAST)
Platform: Microsoft Teams (link to follow upon registration)
Event Description:
The ICFP Gauteng Regional Committee is inviting you to join us for a powerful and unprecedented panel discussion that examines fraud and offender rehabilitation from three critical perspectives: lived experience, professional practice, and academic research.
What to Expect:
Estelle Burgers will share her deeply personal journey from a respected administrative professional and active church member to a convicted fraudster. In a candid conversation, Estelle will reveal what led her to commit fraud and forgery, how she executed the crimes that resulted in a 10-year sentence, her transformative experiences during incarceration at Gqeberha Correctional Centre, and the challenges of life after parole. This rare first-hand account offers invaluable insights into the mind of a white-collar offender.
Nomakhaya Siyotula, a social worker with 26 years of experience, including 21 years in the Department of Correctional Services, will highlight the critical work of rehabilitating offenders while in prison. Drawing on her extensive experience working with sentenced males and females, parolees, and probationers, Nomakhaya will discuss evidence-based rehabilitation strategies and the essential processes for successfully reintegrating offenders into communities after sentence to prevent recidivism.
Lerato Seshigwana, a criminologist with a Master’s degree (cum laude) specialising in offender psychology and familial backgrounds, will provide the academic perspective on criminal psychology. Lerato will unpack the theoretical frameworks that explain why people turn to crime, the psychological profiles of offenders, and what research tells us about effective intervention strategies.
Who Should Attend:
- Forensic practitioners and commercial investigators
- Internal auditors and compliance officers
- Legal professionals and prosecutors
- Social workers and correctional services personnel
- Risk management professionals
- Academics and students in criminology, forensic studies, and social work
- Anyone interested in understanding fraud, rehabilitation, and criminal justice reform
This is more than a discussion about fraud—it’s a conversation about human fallibility, second chances, and building a justice system that truly rehabilitates.