Catching AI compute fraud before it blows through your forecast, without blocking the users you want to keep. Your AI compute budget started as a forecast, a clean line you could plan and price against. Lately that line keeps breaking: costs spike above plan with no launch or traffic win to explain them, and every …

Catching account takeover after the login — without adding friction for the users you want to keep. You’ve already locked the front door. The opportunity now is to extend that same confidence past the login, all the way to the session itself, so you catch abuse early, act with confidence, and protect revenue instead of …

Short answer. Organized fraud now operates like a business: specialized groups acquire, monetize, and resell access at scale, while most companies still investigate incidents one at a time. The teams pulling ahead stop treating each alert as a separate problem and start identifying the whole entity behind the activity, early enough to act. In one …

For many mature risk programs, the most significant challenge isn’t a lack of signal. Most organizations have spent years investing in sophisticated infrastructure, including complex scoring models, device and identity data, and diverse vendor platforms. On “paper”, the system appears robust: alerts fire, cases flow into manual review queues, and escalation paths are clearly defined. …

Most organizations don’t start with a clearly defined fraud problem. They start with something harder to explain. Revenue doesn’t reconcile cleanly. Behavior feels off but doesn’t trigger alerts. Complaints surface, but they don’t map to known patterns. The same edge cases keep resurfacing in different parts of the business. Nothing points to a single issue. …

A new lawsuit filed by Ukrainian civilians in U.S. courts illustrates a growing and often misunderstood risk for U.S. technology companies: you can face severe legal and reputational consequences even when you believe you’ve done everything right. In this case, plaintiffs allege that U.S.-made microchips were diverted, without the manufacturers’ knowledge, to the Russian military …

Client Challenge Following the 2014 U.S. embargo on Crimea, multinational companies faced the risk of violating sanctions due to resellers using sophisticated methods to hide their activities. Automated compliance systems often failed to detect these tactics, resulting in potential fines and reputational damage. The FiveBy Solution FiveBy, a risk intelligence firm, has utilized its human-driven …

Fraudsters are evolving faster than ever. For leaders in Trust and Safety, the challenge is not only to detect and prevent these threats but to measure their efforts in ways that resonate with executives and drive investment. Enter Eric Timmreck, a seasoned expert whose insights are helping fraud practitioners navigate this complex landscape. At FiveBy …

In summer 2024, 24 Hour Fitness faced a serious threat: card testing fraud. Fraudsters used stolen card data to flood the system with rapid, low-value transactions. Between June and mid-August, 27.7% of all transactions were fraudulent. The situation peaked in early August, when the surge in fraudulent activity caused the bank acceptance rate to drop …

“Automation excels at speed and scale, but it’s human insight that brings context and clarity.” In the fight against fraud, where tactics evolve rapidly, relying solely on one approach can leave gaps. Use automation to handle high-volume, precision-driven tasks, but always pair it with human expertise for nuanced decision-making. A balanced strategy ensures you’re not …

We are thrilled to announce that Devon Westerholm is stepping into the role of President of FiveBy. Devon has been an integral part of our team, bringing more than 25 years of experience in executing service excellence and delivering actionable insights to drive client value. We know she will continue demonstrating exceptional leadership and dedication …

Companies operating in the maritime, shipping, and oil trade sectors must conduct thorough due diligence to ensure compliance with the EU’s 16th package of economic sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially in light of the newly introduced criterion potentially targeting entities that facilitate the activities of unsafe oil tankers. With the EU’s expanded …

In December 2024, Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab completed its exit from the US market after being banned the from doing business in the United States by the Bureau of Industry and Security. Regulators notified Kaspersky in June 2024 that it needed to exit the US market by December 2024 due to the national security …

Introduction The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) new “Click-to-Cancel” rule officially went into effect on January 14, 2025 and gives businesses until May 14, 2025 to ensure full compliance. Finalized on October 16, 2024, the rule aims to simplify the cancellation process for consumers who want to terminate recurring subscriptions like streaming services, pet insurance, gym …

Summary Companies engaged in Syria’s post-Assad reconstruction efforts have significant opportunities in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications. For businesses investing in Syria’s recovery, understanding and navigating the complicated maze of sanctions compliance is essential to avoiding financial and reputational risks.   Understanding Syria’s Emerging Market As Syria’s political landscape shifts, potential investors …

Summary On November 26, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a partial ruling that Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts cannot be considered “property,” and are therefore not subject to the sanctions issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This decision could become a turning point for crypto compliance, highlighting the ongoing …

Executive Summary The aviation industry is facing heightened risks in the wake of escalating international sanctions and export controls. A stark example of this is Russia’s recent seizure of aircraft owned by Western companies. To mitigate the risk of losing aircraft and other assets, civil aviation lessors and insurers must identify jurisdictions where asset recovery …

Executive Summary The new proposed export controls from the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security would require deeper due diligence research to ensure products do not end up in the hands of militaries or governments adversarial to the United States. The proposed export controls expansion and categorization will impact a wider range …

As part of its 14th package of sanctions, following deliberations with the G7, the European Council sanctioned the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS). The sanctions prohibit EU entities from connecting to this system or any similar financial messaging service developed by Russia’s Central Bank, barring European Union (EU) operators from conducting transactions with …

SUMMARY  Businesses involved in the diamond and related industries must rigorously verify their supply chains to ensure that their diamonds do not originate from Russia and comply with G7 restrictions, particularly Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations and the European Commission (EC) full-traceability requirement. Firms can prevent financial penalties and mitigate reputational risk by …

Industry: Software and Technology Leading multi-brand platform of subscription businesses has stopped nearly 100% of typical card-testing activities after 5 months of using Zuora Fraud Protection, powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 and configured by FiveBy Solutions. Click here for the full case study on our partner’s website: Case Study – MarketWise – Zuora
 The Customer …

Are you worried about business risks posed by global sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations? ThreatSTOP has partnered with FiveBy, a leading Risk Intelligence and Fraud consultancy with a team of sanctions experts, to offer an automated, customizable Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) compliance enforcement solution that can be easily integrated into your existing network …

Seattle, WA Globally, digital commerce fraud is expected to surpass $48 billion in 2023.  According to a recent report, every one dollar in fraud experienced by a company will cost that company $3 in recovery and expenses. In addition, the speed with which fraud is mutating to evade detection is alarming many companies engaged in …

US companies transacting with chemical and pharmaceutical firms in China must conduct thorough due diligence research on their Chinese counterparts to mitigate the risk of unknowingly engaging with an entity involved in the production of fentanyl or its precursor chemicals. The White House has made combatting fentanyl a major priority, citing the dangers of illicit …

This week’s regulatory compliance note—a tri-seal effort between the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Justice Department, and OFAC—summarized the procedures for voluntary self disclosure of potential violations of sanctions and export controls. The note also highlighted that disclosures can result in significant mitigation of civil or criminal liabilities, while also helping …

The US State, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, and Labor Departments, along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), today issued an advisory to warn US persons and companies about the involvement of illicit actors in the gold trade in sub-Saharan Africa. Issued in coordination with sanctions against four companies linked to US-designated Russian …

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), along with partners in the United States, the UK, and others, today published its first series of articles on the Rotenberg Brothers – close friends and enablers of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Boris and Arkady Rotenberg have been sanctioned by the United States since 2014, after Russia …

The Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, and Treasury this morning issued joint guidance on Iran’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-related activities. The problem of Iranian drones supporting Tehran’s proxies in the region is not new. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been using Iran’s drones against Saudi Arabia for several years, and Iran has been providing UAS technologies …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Recently, Director of Risk Intelligence Irene Kenyon was a guest on the first episode of the Highly Regulated Podcast with Stevie Cline. What are the biggest compliance mistakes we see? How can companies best mitigate their …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Irene Kenyon, FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, was recently quoted in an article by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on a Cyprus firm that may have helped sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev evade sanctions. …

OFAC today issued an alert to warn US individuals, firms, and financial institutions about possible violations of the price cap on Russian crude oil imposed last year, especially through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports on Russia’s eastern coast. OFAC notes that Russian oil may be trading above the price cap and …

The US government’s enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) is resulting in an increased number of shipments being detained at the US border, costing importers millions of dollars. The Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement efforts are exposing the underlying forced labor connections of goods imported by US companies and putting these firms’ …

Transacting in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine has become riskier for western firms and financial institutions because Russia has been seizing businesses and schools in these jurisdictions and forcing them to register with Russian tax authorities. The new registrations and tax IDs of previously Ukrainian-owned entities make due diligence research, such as determining ownership, control, and …

Executive Summary The US government is taking a more hardline posture to enforce sanctions and export controls, which almost certainly will result in increased financial and criminal penalties for violators. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US regulators have significantly expanded sanctions and other restrictions against Moscow and widened the scope …

FiveBy experts provide insights on news, industry trends, and possible regulatory and reputational risks around the corner. FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, Irene Kenyon, on 27 February 2023 once again appeared on New Paradigms, discussing the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the state of the unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia. What has …

A recent Kremlin-linked campaign to help arm Russian troops fighting in Ukraine demonstrates the importance of conducting thorough due diligence research on clients, business partners, and other counterparties. Even in instances in which a transaction is technically legal, associated ethical issues could lead to adverse media coverage and reputational risk. We assess that entities providing …

At a time when the regulatory landscape is changing at a lightning speed, with new financial sanctions programs, enforcement actions, and global policy developments stretching compliance programs, effective monitoring and mitigating risk is more important than ever for global banks, financial institutions, technology firms, cryptocurrency platforms, and governments. That’s why FiveBy Solutions—a specialized risk intelligence …

FiveBy experts provide insights on news, industry trends, and possible regulatory and reputational risks around the corner. FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, Irene Kenyon, on 5 September 2022 participated in New Paradigms—a show that asked the question: Are sanctions still relevant in a multipolar world? The answer is nuanced. Sanctions are effective foreign policy when …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Irene Kenyon, FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, was recently quoted in an article by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on the network of proxies and middlemen that are used to obscure involvement in Syrian …

Seattle, WA FiveBy is proud to announce a new partnership with Microsoft, which combines managed service offerings with the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection. Organizations across many industries are experiencing an increase in fraud incidents at speeds that impact revenue with little warning and often require unplanned resources to respond.  According to 451 …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Irene Kenyon, FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, recently participated in a free webinar with Thomson Reuters on how US firms and financial institutions can best adjust to the volatile sanctions environment caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Thomson Reuters recently published FiveBy’s advisory on strategic corruption written by FiveBy Risk Intelligence analyst Marren Haneberg in a two-part series that explores how US firms and financial institutions can adjust, as US regulators look to …

FiveBy experts are often asked to provide insights on risk-related news, industry trends, and other sanctions and money-laundering issues. Irene Kenyon, FiveBy Director of Risk Intelligence, was recently quoted in an article by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on likely Iran sanctions evasion by a Dubai-based petrochemicals firm. Irene Kenyon, a former …

Adding human expertise into the data stream for meaningful risk intelligence Click here for PDF The consequences of failing to comply with government sanctions and commerce regulations can impact a company’s reputation and bottom line.  The government expects companies to know the suppliers they buy from and customers they sell to. Every company that buys …

FiveBy Solutions Founder and President, Alex Kochis, recently spoke with CIO Review about FiveBy’s ability to create bespoke solutions for clients to mitigate fraud, and regulatory and reputational risk. FiveBy is a recognized expert in the fraud and compliance space and has helped numerous clients transform their risks into opportunities, combining unique insights, technical savvy, …

FiveBy experts provide insights on news, industry trends, and possible regulatory and reputational risks around the corner. Our very own Irene Kenyon, Director of Risk Intelligence at FiveBy is interviewed by Thomson Reuters in this timely article about how possible regulatory changes after the recent Treasury Department sanctions review can impact US financial institutions, the complexities …

FiveBy experts provide insights on news, industry trends, and possible regulatory and reputational risks around the corner. Our very own Irene Kenyon, Director of Risk Intelligence at FiveBy is interviewed in this fascinating article by Thomson Reuters which discusses the complicated environment of sanctions compliance – a landscape filled with pitfalls that perfunctory screening tools …

Leading governmental bodies and support organizations worldwide have become aware of the significant current threats related to disinformation. Disinformation is being used by state actors and–more insidiously–enabled by a growing industry of Disinformation as a Service (DaaS) vendors. The impacts are experienced well beyond the political realm, for example, as corporations and their employees are targeted to avoid Covid 19 vaccination– a threat to business continuation …

As an established leader in providing risk intelligence services to address fraud, compliance and security issues, we at FiveBy are fortunate enough to have some of the best people in the business working as part of our team.  Many of our people are accomplished educators in the fraud, compliance and security space. As part of …

Click here for PDF Executive Summary A flood of proposed legislation to increase regulation over online content and recent contentious hearings on the subject indicate an appetite on Capitol Hill to hold tech companies accountable for disinformation and other harmful content hosted on their platforms. To mitigate possible liabilities, tech companies would be wise to …

Don’t Let Your Eyes Deceive You The SANS Institute reported that 95% of all cyberattacks begin with social engineering – tricking people into disclosing sensitive information to a source they believe to be genuine. Many social engineering attacks use homoglyphs — characters or letters that look alike — to create usernames, emails, or other unique identifiers that …

Whether from a coordinated or opportunistic attack, the risk of falling prey to fraud, piracy, or abuse is increasingly common in an all-but-fully digitized world. This threat is no longer a unique concern for security and logistics professionals, as the risks for lost revenue now exist at nearly every level of business. Even those firms …

Click here for PDF Disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine—and the resultant refusal of many to get vaccinated—presents a significant threat to the US economy, and especially to companies operating in service industries and critical infrastructure sectors. Employees of many of these companies are more vulnerable to the virus because of extensive interactions with the general …

With more than 10 years of success developing solutions for clients to combat software piracy and internet service fraud and abuse, FiveBy Solutions is excited to announce “FiveBy 2.0” – bringing deeper focus on our customers’ requirements, expansion of our core areas of expertise, and new leadership to help guide us in our mission to …

Click here for PDF In a press release on July 24, 2020, National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) Director William Evanina highlighted foreign threats to the 2020 US election, specifically focusing on China, Iran, and Russia’s efforts to undermine US citizens’ confidence in their government institutions. Influence measures on social and traditional media to sway …