Fingerprint has launched Proximity Detection, a location-based signal for mobile devices that allows businesses detect hidden fraud patterns and device farms by linking devices in close physical proximity.
Mobile apps, including food and parcel delivery, financial solutions, iGaming, ridesharing, and social media platforms, already require location permissions and rely on location data for optimal functionality. However, companies face challenges in using the information efficiently to link multiple devices and detect coordinated fraud attempts.
Modern operations like device farms running hundreds of fake accounts exploit this lack of intelligence to evade being caught. Fingerprint believes that fraud teams require a stronger location signal that can group devices in the same physical region to detect and connect these hidden leads in real-time. This is why it rolled out Proximity Detection, so that enterprises can better leverage location-based insights and device data to prevent large-scale bonus abuse, fake signups, and other multi-accounting fraud.
A solution for privacy and fraud detection
The product addresses the difficulty of multi-accounting fraud and large-scale bonus and promo abuse enabled by device farming. Three key features include fast linking of related devices to uncover fraud patterns such as multi-accounting, detecting device farms even when they’re hiding behind a VPN or spoofing tools, and strengthening account security by flagging suspicious login attempts when devices from the same location log into multiple accounts.
Fingerprint built Proximity Detection while focusing on privacy, using standard in-app location permission and sending only hashed proximity IDs in its data payload. This way, the company delivers a zone-based anonymised comparison of devices in the same location to ensure that risk and fraud players and enterprises can detect fraud without exposing users.
For banking and fintech providers, Proximity Detection finds ATO attempts by detecting multiple accounts being accessed from devices in the same location. For iGaming, it reveals coordinated fraud and prevents online betting bonus abuse by finding clusters of devices from the same location and identifying attempted play from restricted regions.
When it comes to the gig economy, which includes travel, ride-hailing, F&B, and more, the solution uncovers fake drivers, passengers, or delivery accounts operating from the same hub. It also spots duplicate account creation to claim free rides or trials, and surface shared device clusters revealing delivery or referral abuse.
