Sumsub Launches Fraud Prevention Starter Kit as Complex Identity Attacks Rise 180%

Sumsub has launched a new Fraud Prevention Starter Kit designed to give digital businesses a ready-made way to assess applicant risk during onboarding, as the identity-verification provider reports a sharp increase in more sophisticated fraud attempts.

Announced on 2 September 2026, the product turns signup, verification, device, network and linkage signals into a single fraud risk level for each applicant. Businesses can then use that result to approve an applicant, introduce additional checks, send the case for manual review or block the applicant.

Risk scoring around KYC and onboarding

The Starter Kit is intended to add a fraud-risk layer around existing KYC processes rather than replace KYC or AML obligations. Sumsub says the system can use signals including email and phone risk, IP and network indicators, device intelligence, links between applicants, digital-footprint data, blocklists and confirmed fraud feedback.

The company’s product documentation says the pre-built risk matrix can identify risks associated with mule and drop accounts, account farms, multi-accounting, synthetic identities and coordinated abuse. The resulting low, medium or high risk level can be used through Sumsub’s Workflow Builder, Case Management, API, webhooks and monitoring rules, including to combine onboarding risk with transaction and behaviour monitoring.

Sumsub says the Starter Kit includes more than 60 pre-built fraud detection scenarios. It is currently being offered through a closed launch, with selected companies able to apply for early access.

Sumsub reports fewer basic identity attacks but more complex fraud

The launch is accompanied by internal Sumsub data showing that its global identity fraud rate declined from 2.6% to 2.2% over the past year, while sophisticated attacks combining multiple techniques within a single verification attempt increased by 180%. These figures are company-reported findings rather than an independent market estimate.

Sumsub argues that the shift means businesses can face greater exposure even when conventional identity checks are working, particularly where valid identities are used for mule accounts, account handovers or coordinated fraud networks.

The product reflects a wider convergence between identity verification, fraud prevention and financial-crime controls. For compliance teams, the practical significance is the growing use of onboarding signals not only to confirm identity, but also to determine whether an apparently verified customer presents broader fraud or illicit-finance risk.