Fraudsters aren’t just perpetrating “traditional” phishing attacks anymore – they’re deploying military-grade social engineering tactics and leveraging personal data at an alarming scale. And in today’s AI-fueled environment, they're evolving faster than ever.

From account takeovers to impersonation scams, the game has changed; and so must the tools we use to fight back.

The New Frontier: Sophisticated Social Engineering

Modern fraud is no longer about brute force; it’s about trust. Fraudsters are targeting account holders with surgical precision. For example, several reports have emerged targeting senior citizens with high balances. Here’s how:

• They know who to target: Using breached data and public records, they identify high-value victims – like retirees with large savings balances.
• They impersonate the financial institution: Victims receive a call from someone claiming to be from their bank or credit union. The fraudster already has personal details, adding a dangerous layer of credibility.
• They manipulate trust: “This transaction was just a test. It’s safe to let it go through,” they say. Then they “need more info” – often a password reset or verification code.
• Then they flip the script: The fraudster now calls the institution, pretending to be the account holder. Armed with real information, they push fraudulent transactions through.
• In some cases, they even retrieve the card: Victims are told to leave their card in the mailbox for ‘fraud investigation.’ A courier shows up. The card is gone. So are the funds.

These tactics are devastatingly effective. And nearly invisible until it’s too late.

Why Traditional Tools Aren’t Enough

Most fraud systems are reactive. They catch fraud after it happens – if at all. And the longer it takes to respond, the greater the losses, both financially and in account holder trust.

At Rippleshot, we’re flipping that script.

Stopping Fraud Before It Strikes

Rippleshot’s Sonar and Rules Assist solutions are built for today’s fraud landscape.

• Sonar: Detects compromised cards and merchants up to 180 days earlier than Visa or Mastercard alerts, using AI and a consortium of 50M+ daily card transactions. Financial institutions can proactively identify high-risk cards and detect compromised merchants.
• Rules Assist: Proactively identifies fraud patterns and generates intelligence to address fraudulent attacks before they strike. No manual rule writing required – just precision-driven fraud blocking at scale.

Agentic AI: A New Era in Fraud Prevention

What’s changing the game even further? Agentic AI – AI that acts autonomously, continuously learning and adapting. It’s not just analyzing fraud trends; it’s predicting and preventing them.

This means:

• Dynamic rule creation, without human lag, but with human oversight
• Self-adjusting fraud thresholds based on evolving patterns.
• Real-time coordination across fraud systems, teams, and channels.

This is the future of effective fraud prevention.

The Bottom Line

Fraudsters are getting more creative by the day. If you’re still playing defense, you’ve already lost. The only way forward is to be faster, smarter, and more proactive than the fraud you’re fighting.

That’s what Rippleshot delivers.

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