Fraudsters continually adapt and evolve, making it imperative for investigators and criminal justice professionals to stay ahead of the game. In today’s digital landscape, one of the key battlegrounds in this fight is understanding the complexities of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. GeoComply, a leading provider of fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions, recently conducted an eye-opening webinar on the world of IP address manipulation.
The webinar, titled “Exploring IP Address Manipulation: Nuances, Techniques, and Impacts,” was designed to help law enforcement better understand the risks associated with using IP address data in investigations, how this data can be manipulated, and how to ensure investigations are not compromised because of this manipulation. GeoComply’s Robin Alexander, Global Impact Manager, Mike Dawson, Senior Fraud Manager (Growth), and James Clark, Media and Entertainment Director, led the discussion.
The webinar outlined how a cybercriminal’s first move is almost always to try to be anonymous online. Surfshark estimates that more than 1.6 billion people use VPNs online, and nearly half of this group says they use them to enhance data privacy. Unfortunately, VPNs have become a common manipulation tool. They can be used to encrypt traffic and anonymize the user. While some users may use VPNs for true privacy, others use them to disguise themselves in order to commit crimes online. In other cases, residential users who download “free” VPN software may be opening themselves up to having their residential IP address hijacked and VPN traffic routed through them. This then opens them up to malware and fraud. Some of these malicious VPNs are actually targeting internet service providers (ISPs) worldwide.
So what tools can anti-fraud agencies and practitioners leverage to stay ahead of these threats? One viable solution is geolocation data, which uses dynamic data points like advanced geolocation and device integrity. This data allows for identifying user locations in real-time, therefore, blocking criminal activity.
As criminals adapt their technology and techniques, so must we.
About GeoComply
Founded in 2011, GeoComply provides cutting-edge fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and verify a user’s true digital identity. Our software is installed on over 400 million devices worldwide and analyzes over 10 billion transactions annually. With over a decade of development, GeoComply’s solutions incorporate location, device, and identity intelligence, combined with advanced machine learning to detect and flag fraudulent activity.
