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Fake account prevention

Stop fake account creation with advanced identity signals

Streamline customer onboarding by identifying bad actors during account creation, reduce friction for legitimate customers and improve trust and safety in your platform.

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Fake account prevention starts here

What is a fake account?

Fake accounts use stolen or synthetic identities. Bad actors may commit fraud immediately or mimic real users for years before launching scams, account fraud or breakout schemes.

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Why are fake accounts created?

Cybercriminals create fake accounts to spread malware, seek loans, execute money transfers, launder money, gain credit, purchase products and services, influence product reviews and spread misinformation.

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Why do you need fake account prevention?

Preventing fake accounts helps organizations protect platform trust and safety, legitimate customers and the payments ecosystem.

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How fraudulent accounts happen

Fraudster creates account

Fraudsters develop accounts using stolen identity information or synthetic identities fabricated from a combination of real identity information.

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Fraudster makes transactions

Fraudsters conduct transactions ranging from purchasing products or services to executing money transfers.

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Fraudster logs onto account

Fraudster regularly log onto the account to mimic legitimate user behavior and build credibility. Once credibility is established, loans can be applied for and more accounts can be opened, depending on the strategy of the scammer.

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The solution

Once bad actors have created a fraudulent account, they have a wealth of options at their fingertips. They could open new accounts to gain instant credit, launder money or generate value through promotional abuse, which can cause reputational damage to merchants’ platforms and result in chargebacks that eat into profits.

The Account Opening API utilizes a set of network signals that provide insight on the legitimacy of credentials a user inputs when setting up an account to assess the risk of the customer onboarding in process.

Account opening

Discover how Open Finance powers secure, seamless account opening. Enable real-time account funding, identity verification and smooth onboarding with consumer-permissioned data sharing.
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Identify potential bad actors

Identify stolen or fabricated information during the account building process to identify and prevent fraud.

Reduce friction for legitimate customers

Streamline your user registration process to validate legitimate customers and fast track their approval to onboard or transact.

Improve trust and safety within your platform

Prevent illegitimate access to your platform with a sound frictionless fraud prevention approach that accurately validates users.

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Request a personalized demo to learn how Mastercard can enhance your business through our products and services.

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