fraud detection
Stop sophisticated fraud without slowing approvals
Fraud tactics are evolving faster than legacy systems can keep up
Zest AI’s proprietary fraud solutions are built for today’s challenges
Real performance
Machine learning models trained on real lender performance—from one of the largest proprietary data sets in the country.
Purpose-built
Fraud detection models trained for all product lines, not a single model stretched to fit.
Tailored models
Our fraud behavior model is tailored specifically to your institution.
Flexible controls
Customized rules and thresholds based on your institution’s unique risk tolerance.
Multi-layered fraud detection. One lending solution.
Three explainable fraud detection risk models, plus consortium intelligence aggregate into a single recommended Action—delivered straight into your LOS
Behavior
Tailored to your institution, our behavior model identifies first and third party malicious intent within 6 months of origination.
Identity
Detects suspicious information with consortium network intelligence across third party and synthetic identity fraud.
Income
Income estimation not only spots income misrepresentation but can significantly reduce stipulations for verification, saving you time and money.
Fraud consortium
Shared intelligence layer built from financial institution loan performance across millions of applicants/year and growing, flags identities already identified as fraud elsewhere in the network.
Explainable insights are delivered as a Recommended Action in your underwriting workflow
Lending intelligence built for even deeper fraud insights
LuLu makes understanding fraud risk easy and transparent with insights and application information at your fingertips
LuLu makes understanding fraud risk easy and transparent with insights and application information at your fingertips
Zest AI customers achieve significant measurable outcomes with our fraud detection solution
in first and third party identity fraud
other providers at spotting fraud
Applicable across your lending workflows
Acquisition
Support pre-screen, pre-qualification, and pre-approval campaigns.
Application
Move members through the screening process safely without friction.
Underwriting
Automate decisioning with powerful risk scores dedicated to each product line and delivered within your LOS.
Portfolio
Understand ongoing credit risk fluctuations across borrowers on your books to maintain portfolio health and lend deeper.
Real results from real lenders
Hundreds of financial institutions use Zest AI to improve approvals, reduce risk, and deliver better lending experiences
“I had no idea that Fraud Detection was going to have such a ripple effect when it came to service. Now, we're able to do more loans and help more people, especially those that have complex credit histories.”
Wauna stopped fraud at origination
Explore more on AI-driven fraud detection
FAQs
How does Zest AI’s fraud detection actually identify fraud?
Zest AI’s fraud detection is comprised of three fraud models that run at the point of loan origination: a custom Behavior Model that flags potential intent to default, an Income Model that flags discrepancies between stated and predicted income, and an Identity Model that flags signs of a compromised or synthetic identity.
Each application is also checked against the consortium to flag applicants already identified as fraud, or already flagged under different personal information at another institution. Each application then gets a single Recommended Action - approve, stipulate, refer, or decline - which gets delivered to your LOS.
What is the fraud consortium, and how do lenders benefit from it?
The consortium is a shared, anonymized intelligence network across participating credit unions and financial institutions — when a risky applicant shows up at one institution, that intelligence is shared for everyone else in the network.
What types of fraud does Zest AI detect?
Zest AI's fraud detection helps identify first-party, third-party, and synthetic identity fraud, income misrepresentation, credit washing, bust-out and straw purchases at the point of lending application.
How can lenders use Zest AI to reduce first-party fraud and credit abuse?
Zest AI's Behavior model identifies both first-party and third-party malicious intent, typically within six months of origination. The Identity model adds a deeper third-party and synthetic-identity layer on top, using consortium network intelligence across institutions, so the two models reinforce each other rather than splitting the job in half. The fraud consortium flags identities already identified as fraud elsewhere in the network.
How can financial institutions use Zest AI to reduce false positives in fraud detection?
Traditional rules-based fraud tools flag on single data points in isolation (like an address abbreviation not matching exactly), which is why they throw so many false alarms. Zest AI's models weigh hundreds of signals together, so one mismatch only raises risk if it doesn't fit the applicant's broader profile.
Ready for smarter, more holistic fraud detection?
Learn more about how Zest AI can boost your lending confidence