Margot Arnus

Ultimate guide to US Data Privacy Protection Laws 2024: stay secure with Veriff

It often seems that convenience in the modern digital world is synonymous with surrendering your privacy. While technology has, in many aspects, revolutionized our lives, it has also left us vulnerable and exposed to unprecedented levels of surveillance. To combat this, more and more countries all over the world are working towards comprehensive data protection and privacy laws to protect their consumers and their data.

In the United States, legislators have started building legal bulwarks against the encroaching tide of data exploitation. While the United States has long been regarded as a patchwork of sectoral privacy laws, recent years have witnessed a significant shift towards comprehensive data protection and privacy laws. This transformation reflects a growing recognition of the need for robust regulations to address the complexities of modern data practices.

While the elusive federal level consumer data protection act remains a tantalizing mirage on the horizon, individual states have taken the reins, crafting their own legislative masterpieces to fill the void. Consequently, a diverse array of “omnibus laws” has emerged, each aiming to enhance privacy protections and empower consumers in an increasingly data-driven society.

However, for businesses and consumers alike, deciphering the intricacies of these laws has been akin to navigating a labyrinth without a map. So, buckle up, dear reader, as we embark on a journey of enlightenment, demystifying the labyrinthine world of US data protection and privacy laws.

In today's digital age, convenience often comes at the cost of privacy. As technology advances, so do the risks of unprecedented surveillance and data exploitation. Recognizing this threat, countries worldwide are enacting comprehensive data protection and privacy laws to safeguard consumer data.

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Countries worldwide are enacting comprehensive data protection and privacy laws to safeguard consumer data. Learn more with Veriff.

Ultimate Guide: US Data Privacy Protection 2024 | Veriff.com

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Ultimate guide to US Data Privacy Protection Laws 2024: Stay secure with Veriff

Fraud Prevention

Fraud

Fin Murphy

Since the advent of money, bad actors have been using deception for financial gain. A serious economic crime, fraud causes devastating consequences for businesses and consumers, including financial, legal, and reputational harm. Common types of financial fraud include the theft of personal information, such as bank account details or a social security number; mortgage fraud, where a financial statement is falsified to show higher earnings; and new trends like dating scams and phishing.

In an increasingly digitized economy, more than ever fraud occurs online; businesses must be wary of the red flags of suspicious activity, and block bad actors that could be guilty of fraud. However, in the drive for growth and scalability, businesses may accept that some level of fraud will exist on their platform. So, if fraud is inevitable, what are the potential consequences, and how much fraud should you accept as part of the calculation of profit and loss for your business?  

At a minimum, when a bad actor attempts to commit fraud it’s likely to cause inconvenience for your legitimate customers. At the more extreme end, loss of life savings is unfortunately quite common, with people transferring huge sums to fraudsters in the belief they’re making sensible investments or protecting their pensions. 

For small-to-medium size businesses themselves, the impact of fraud can be just as severe. If a firm pays a large invoice to a fraudster instead of the rightful recipient, not only will they have lost that money, but they still need to pay the original supplier. In this situation, cashflow can rapidly become an issue. 

But let's imagine that that's not a major concern for your business. Perhaps your scale makes the financial impact negligible, or maybe your business model is focused on maximum revenue generation and rapid growth. You may think that accepting a certain amount of fraud is actually a smart business move – stringent security causes transactional friction, which leads to frustration for customers, which causes dropout, right?

Wrong. The full implications of leaving fraudsters to act go way beyond the direct impact to your bottom line.

Even for the largest, most cash-rich businesses, being caught out by fraudsters can end up doing significant damage. That’s because issues including data breaches, fines, regulatory censure, and even association with criminal behavior – including money laundering, terrorism and human trafficking – can all stem from a fraud attack. To properly understand the potential consequences of failing to prioritize fraud prevention, let’s take a step back. 

Firstly, how are your legitimate customers going to feel if fraudsters are able to exploit them, leaving them at best inconvenienced – and at worst severely out of pocket? The most likely consequence is that you’ll lose a customer. But that could just be the start of your problems.

Other than taking their business elsewhere, the next most likely thing an affected customer will do is post a negative review online. Ratings and reviews have always been important to consumers, but in recent years they’ve come to rank even above price as the most important factor impacting their buying choices. In fact, 98% of consumers feel reviews are essential to making purchase decisions. Potential customers are going to use that review to benchmark your business against your peers. So, ultimately, it’s going to negatively affect your bottom line.

Or imagine that rather than targeting customers, fraudsters pretend to have a legitimate business relationship with your business and manipulate an employee into providing access to sensitive data. Suddenly, you could find your trade secrets are in the hands of criminals ready to sell them to the highest bidder, or that the personal information of thousands of your customers has been leaked online.

At this point, the issue becomes what Warren Buffett once called ‘the newspaper test’. Essentially, how are you going to defend your reputation once your business name starts to appear in headlines about the latest huge data breach?

Additionally, how does that affect you from a regulatory standpoint? Once your brand is noted for falling short, regulators are likely to hone in on you. You may be able to pay the legal costs and fines resulting from any negligence on the part of your business, but what about the ongoing attention and the potential tightening of regulations. And added to this is the operational cost of managing media attention, conducting internal review, and carrying out any necessary changes to your systems and processes. 

So, even if you can afford the direct bottom-line impact of fraud, can you really afford the wider consequences of all the other issues that can follow behind it in a chain reaction? 

Unfortunately, it's pretty close to impossible to completely stop fraud. But that’s far from a reason to ignore the issue. If your business appears to have done too little to prevent the actions of fraudsters, the likely result will be serious reputational damage – or in the worst case scenario, total business failure.

By making your business less susceptible to attacks and more resilient when they happen, you’re minimizing the return on investment for fraudsters, who are likely to turn their attention to easier prey. That’s not only good for your customers, it’s vital for the long-term health of your business.

From a cool-headed business perspective, you may think some level of fraud is acceptable in the quest for growth and conversions. But failing to prioritize your honest customers – and your reputation – is ultimately likely to be highly damaging to your business.

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Levels of fraud: explore why modern businesses maintain a zero-tolerance stance towards any form of fraud, prioritizing reputation & customer trust.

Level of Fraud Unacceptable to Businesses Today | Veriff.com

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Zero Tolerance: Understanding Why Any Level of Fraud is Unacceptable in Business Today

Chris Hooper

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is growing rapidly due to customer demand, but online fraudsters pose a significant threat to today's providers. Discover why identity verification can ensure a swift, seamless, and secure process for businesses and customers.

Finserv

Discover how the expanding world of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is attracting the interest of online fraudsters and how identity verification combats it.

BNPL & Identity Verification | Veriff.com

How Identity Verification Combats Fraud and Powers Growth for BNPL Providers

Identity Verification

Don't miss the chance to explore the latest trends and gain actionable insights essential for combating fraud and protecting your business. Download our Identity Fraud Report 2024 today!

Fraud detection software refers to securing your business and its accounts. By using fraud detection software, you can lock out bad actors from your financial institutions, safeguard sensitive information, and boost confidence in your security systems. 

Here, we’ll outline everything you need to know about fraud detection software, including what fraud detection tools do, the benefits they provide, and the key features you need to look out for.

How to Detect Fraud? The Role of Fraud Detection Software

A fraud detection tool is designed to prevent fraudulent actors from accessing a service or a user’s account. These solutions work by verifying the identity of a user before granting them access to the service or account.

Generally speaking, fraud detection tools are used in three separate instances: verifying a user’s ID, as part of the onboarding process, and verifying the identity of returning users. Let’s take a look at each instance in greater detail.

Fraud detection software can be used to verify a user’s ID. In doing so, it can detect fakes and documents that have been tampered with.

In order to verify the identity documents of real people, these fraud detection tools ask the user to take a picture of their government-issued ID. The tool then automatically detects whether it’s a driver’s license, passport, residence permit, or standard ID. Following this, it then instructs the user whether the back of the ID is required, making the experience seamless.

This data is then analyzed and the business is provided with a decision about the authenticity of the document in a matter of seconds.

These pieces of fraud detection software ask the user to snap a photo of their ID and provide a selfie before they’re allowed to create an account or access a service for the first time.

The user’s ID is then verified and their selfie is checked for likeness. An identity verification solution can reach a decision in around six seconds and users enjoy a frictionless experience.

Verifying the identity of returning users

On top of this, fraud detection tools can also be used to verify the identity of a returning customer. Fraud prevention tools such as these use biometric authentication in order to confirm that a returning user is exactly who they’re claiming to be. In doing so, these tools use a selfie-based authentication method that is far more secure than using a password or one-time passcode.

In order to gain access to an account or service, a user must provide the fraud detection software with a selfie. The tool then checks the supplied image for liveness and realness in real time. To complete the process, it compares the selfie to a previously verified face and identity. An authentication decision can be reached in as little as one second. 

Why is fraud detection so important for organizations?

Fraud detection tools are vital for stopping fraudulent activity from taking place. This process involves a criminal actor using a person’s stolen details to commit a crime.

Examples of common types of identity fraud risks include:

Obtaining credit cards & card numbers (credit card fraud), loans, or benefits

Obtaining genuine documents like a passport or a driving license in someone else’s name

Identity fraud is a serious crime. Sadly, it’s also more common than we’d like. Our 2021 Identity Fraud Report revealed that:

Identity fraud makes up close to two-thirds of all fraud incidents globally and has doubled compared to 2020

Global fraud has increased in the U.S. & Europe, with Europe seeing its fraud rate double from 2020

As a business, you have a responsibility to prevent fraudsters from accessing your services. This is particularly the case if your business is a ‘financial gatekeeper’, such as an accountancy firm, a bank, or a law firm.

Thankfully, fraud detection tools like ours can help you carry out the identification and verification process seamlessly. This means that these tools can detect fraud before a criminal actor is able to access any money or sensitive information.

If you allow fraudsters to access accounts or your services, then you may struggle from both reputational and financial damage. As well as leading to negative headlines, instances of identity fraud and identity theft can cause customers to leave your business. If you’re subject to know your customer (KYC) regulations, then you also may face huge fines from regulators.

Benefits of using a fraud detection platform

By using a fraud detection platform, your business will experience a number of benefits, including:

By proactively preventing fraud and anti money laundering from occurring, you can secure accounts. With a proper fraud prevention measures in place (rather than simply relying on passwords and one-time passcodes), your business can make sure that accounts are locked down and cannot be accessed by fraudsters.

With increased security in place, bad actors will be less likely to target your accounts and services.

When you put effective fraud detection and prevention in place, your customers will enjoy increased confidence in your business and its operations. This is because they know their data and personal information are safe and cannot be accessed by fraudsters. This, in turn, can lead to an increase in business if your competitors fail to put equivalent systems in place and allow fraudulent attacks to happen.

With these systems in place, you dramatically lessen the likelihood of hackers and fraudsters gaining access to accounts and personal data. As a result of this, you also significantly reduce the risk that your business will face reputational damage from allowing data breaches to happen. This also means you’ll greatly reduce the risk of facing a fine from regulatory bodies.

By stopping fraud from taking place, a fraud detection platform can actually save you money. This is because, by reducing manual review rates, these pieces of software lower your operating costs. Plus, by stopping fraudulent actions before they take place, the platform can also significantly reduce costly chargebacks.

What you should look for in a fraud detection platform

The right fraud detection platform will stop fraud, build trust, and make the identity verification process simple.

Different tools suit different purposes, but the best tools on the market share three common traits: they’re fast, they’re easy for customers to use, and they’re accurate.

Customers expect a seamless experience when they try to sign up for a new service or access their account. While having the right security systems in place is vital, it’s equally important that these systems do not hinder customers. Due to this, top fraud detection platforms like ours automate as much of the process as possible in order to make it much quicker.

Thanks to a 98% check automation rate, our solutions can guide the user through the identity verification process in around six seconds. This means that customers face minimal disruption and you receive much higher conversion rates.

In the modern age, customers expect seamless experiences. These customers are also unwilling to part with their data unless you make the process and your motivations as transparent as possible.

Top fraud detection platforms the process clearly to the customer and then guide them through it, providing feedback along the way. By making the process easy and guiding your customers through that process on a step-by-step basis, you can boost conversions and verify more customers on the first try.

By providing real-time user feedback and reducing the number of steps in the process, top solutions like ours provide a top-class experience for customers. Ultimately, this means that we can verify 95% of your users on the first try. Again, this increases conversion by up to 30%.

Finally, to satisfy regulatory requirements, you also need to ensure that your chosen fraud detection software is accurate.

By employing highly accurate face detection and biometric authentication, we’ve ensured our solutions are as accurate as possible. In fact, as well as verifying 99% of users on their first try, our biometric authentication solution is also 99.99% accurate. This means you can have confidence in your system to keep bad actors at bay.

Prevent customers from being the victim of scams and attacks with Veriff - Request a demo

If your business would like to know more about how to prevent identity fraud and the steps it can take to stop bad actors from accessing its services, then book a consultation with Veriff today. We’ll explain exactly how we can help you meet compliance and KYC obligations.

Fraud detection tools & techniques can help businesses carry out the identification and verification process seamlessly. This means that these tools can detect fraud before a criminal actor is able to access any money or sensitive information, prevent the risk of financial, reputational, or legal consequences.

How to detect fraud? Learn about the importance of fraud detection tools for modern businesses and why they are essential to protect against financial threats.

How to Detect Fraud | Software Tools | Veriff.com

A blog about the role of fraud detection software, including what a fraud detection tool does and why fraud detection is so important for today's organizations.

The role of fraud detection software

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Analysis

Fraudsters are employing ever more sophisticated methods, resulting in a variety of approaches they can use to seize control of accounts. The selection of account takeover schemes by these attackers hinges on their objectives and the resources at their disposal.

Six major types of fraud account takeover & Veriff's advanced solutions, including biometric authentication and robust data protection to secure your business.

6 Major Types of Account Takeover Fraud | Veriff.com

Get all the latest global identity fraud data and insights you need to keep your business safe.

Inside the threat: Exploring the 6 major types of account takeover fraud

Iryna Bondar

The Tinder Swindler on Netflix took the world by storm. In the show, Simon Leviev posed as a wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul, wooing women he met online. He then conned them out of around $10 million in a complex Ponzi scheme.  

This may be an extreme example, but it exposes the dangers that identity fraud – and identity theft – can pose to consumers online. 

"The Tinder Swindler" on Netflix reveals the severe impact of identity fraud. This guide covers the essentials of identity fraud, warning signs, and effective prevention strategies for consumers and businesses. Discover how advanced Identity Verification (IDV) solutions can help maintain security and trust.

Identity fraud is a growing threat that demands robust protection strategies. High-profile cases like the Tinder Swindler highlight the need for vigilance. This article explores the nuances of identity fraud and theft, and how businesses can safeguard sensitive information.

Identity fraud prevention: effective strategies to protect your business from identity fraud, including insights into fraud types and security steps.

Identity Fraud Prevention: Business Strategies | Veriff.com

You would have thought that with all the incredible work being done by companies like Veriff who are tirelessly working against fraud, fraudsters might be losing the battle. Unfortunately, as technology advancements are being achieved by the good guys, they are also being sought by the bad guys. It just shows how important it is for companies to keep on top of their digital security systems to protect both themselves and their customers´ experience. 

Here is Veriff’s overview of 7 trends that are happening in online fraud right now:

There has recently been a substantial rise in fraud attacks in new account fraud enabled by a sudden increase in the creation of so-called ‘synthetic identities’. These identities are either faked, stolen, modified from real data, or bought on the dark web. 

Fraudsters use them to get into new bank accounts, wait until they have achieved maximum advantage, and then simply ‘bust out’ either with data or financial gain - steal personal data from the credit cards and make fraudulent transactions. Fraud schemes have different forms. Another way these identities are used is on online marketplaces that offer promotions to new customers. The synthetic identities are combined with stolen payment cards and then dozens of non-existent individuals are suddenly quid’s in.

Robust identity verification techniques are essential for companies if they are to strengthen their foundations against new account fraud. Processes that ensure that applicants have to put their real face forward (and provide sufficient evidence that they are who they say they are) when they are first creating their account are essential. 

Research from the Fraud Trends and Tectonics white paper shows that instances of account takeover fraud (ATO) are on the rise. Part of the reason for this is that it is generally easier for fraudsters to interfere with an existing account than to open a new one and, often, the payoff of doing so can be much quicker.

Fraudsters doing this rely on the fact that an established and trusted relationship between a service provider and customer may well be subject to less rigorous anti-fraud processes. 

ATOs are certainly not new but they are on the rise and it is likely we will see an increase in the number of attacks and the various way they are carried out. It is a worrying fact that although many companies spend millions preventing other types of fraud, ATOs are not taken as seriously as they perhaps should be. 

Increasingly sophisticated tools that allow fraudsters to ‘scrape for ATOs’ or bypass 2FA processes to access login and password data are exacerbating the situation. 

Phishing has always been the most common type of cyber-attack, and it preys on people’s vulnerability. Traditionally, phishing has involved a fraudster recreating a legitimate-looking website or email domain of a trusted company and then sending links to malware via email, which unsuspecting people are tricked into downloading. 

More recently, phishing has evolved, and it now takes place via SMS (smishing), or by voicemail (vishing) when the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system of a renowned company is copied and recreated.

Vishing can be particularly upsetting and disturbing as the victim often can feel violated that they were tricked by such an authentic-sounding voice. 

Phishing is still the main cause for data breaches, and the trend here is that fraudsters and hackers are getting bolder and utilizing more complex techniques than ever before. 

A few years ago, it was thought that the war had been won against social engineering scams. However, as banks and other organizations employ more robust anti-fraud technology, fraudsters are instead turning their attention to an easier target – the customers. 

This means that social engineering, whereby criminals attempt to deceive people in order to manipulate them into divulging their personally identifiable information (PII), is once again on the rise. 

The most worrying thing about this trend is that these scam artists do not have to be expert coders or sophisticated hackers in order to fool their victims. In effect, anyone could try this type of scam which is why we all need to be vigilant against it.

Authorized Push Payment (APP) scams are expected to rise in frequency in the coming months and years. This is when a victim inadvertently authorizes a payment into an account that they wrongly believe to be legitimate. 

One of the factors behind why this type of scam is increasing is the roll-out of so-called ‘faster payment’ processes by banks across the globe. Although it creates a customer-centric and user-friendly service, it does have its negative side. This is because it means that fraudsters can access and steal money in real-time and ‘get away’ before any duplicitous activity is detected, let alone prevented.

Businesses and services have been driven online in recent months due to widespread social distancing and COVID-19 government regulations causing people to stay at home.

With such a large number of transactions having been shifted online so quickly, companies have been disrupted at a scale not seen before. 

This means that the opportunities for fraudsters to take advantage of new – and potentially poorly designed – digital platforms have increased tenfold. In particular, the telecommunications, retail and financial services industries have been especially affected. 

According to TransUnion, the percentage of suspected fraudulent digital transactions rose 5% from March 11 to April 28 when compared to January 1 to March 10, 2020. In addition to this, more than 100 million risky transactions from March 11 to April 28 were identified.

This situation is still unfolding, but it is clear that the businesses that will survive this period of turbulence are the ones that will leverage the most advanced and robust fraud prevention tools.

Deepfakes have garnered widespread attention recently, and a trend is emerging where they are increasing in prevalence.

 Deepfakes are synthetic media whereby an image or video of a person is replaced with the likeness of someone else. Faking content in this way is not new, but the technology being used to create it has now become very complex. Techniques are being leveraged from machine learning and artificial intelligence, resulting in high-quality audio and visual content that is very successful in deceiving people.

Scammers are using it to bypass and overcome facial recognition or voice biometric protocols put in place by financial institutions and other organizations. 

As an example, a notorious deepfake took place last year. A UK-based energy firm was attacked when an executive was duped into believing he was following instructions from his CEO but transferred $243,000 to a fraudulent account.

Deepfakes have caused growing worries about how new technology is being increasingly used to undermine trust, empower fraudsters, and make traditional communication streams much more vulnerable to attack.

Online crime is growing - fast. We look at what are the growing trends around the world, pushing technology to keep evolving and fighting the good fight.

Growth of trends in online fraud and how technology remains at the forefront in the fight against emerging trends and digital threats worldwide.

7 Trends in Online Fraud: What You Need to Know | Veriff.com

Navigating the Risk Landscape: Exploring the 7 Latest Trends in Online Fraud

Discover comprehensive and actionable guides on fraud, brought to you by Veriff.

Learn how to protect your business against online fraud with our comprehensive fraud guides 101 and tips from Veriff. Get all the information here!

Fraud Guides 101

Latest Resources

Ultimate guide to US Data Privacy Protection Laws 2024: Stay secure with Veriff

Zero Tolerance: Understanding Why Any Level of Fraud is Unacceptable in Business Today

How Identity Verification Combats Fraud and Powers Growth for BNPL Providers

The role of fraud detection software

Inside the threat: Exploring the 6 major types of account takeover fraud

Combating threats: Business-centric strategies for identity fraud protection

Navigating the Risk Landscape: Exploring the 7 Latest Trends in Online Fraud

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Fraud Guides 101

Latest Resources

Ultimate guide to US Data Privacy Protection Laws 2024: Stay secure with Veriff

Zero Tolerance: Understanding Why Any Level of Fraud is Unacceptable in Business Today

How Identity Verification Combats Fraud and Powers Growth for BNPL Providers

The role of fraud detection software

Inside the threat: Exploring the 6 major types of account takeover fraud

Combating threats: Business-centric strategies for identity fraud protection

Navigating the Risk Landscape: Exploring the 7 Latest Trends in Online Fraud

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