Essential Industry Terms Explained

Learn how ransomware attacks work, their financial and psychological impacts, real-world examples, recent statistics, and effective prevention strategies—all in this essential guide for businesses and individuals.

Discover how real-time payment fraud exploits instant payment systems, the latest fraud tactics, real-world examples, and top strategies for protecting your business and customers in our expert guide.

Real-time risk management is a process which enables a person to handle risks associated with payments as the payment happens. It allows the person to effectively ensure that all the transactions are...

Discover how real-time fraud detection uses AI and data analysis to instantly stop fraud, protect businesses, and boost customer trust. Learn its benefits, challenges, and real-world applications.

Discover how Real-time Sanctions Screening automates compliance, reduces risk, and protects your business from legal penalties by instantly checking transactions against global sanctions lists.

Record destruction refers to the process of illegally destroying information stored in the form of documents. This is an ethically wrong practice and if spotted within an organization can lead to the...

Discover how refund fraud impacts businesses, the common tactics used by fraudsters, and effective prevention strategies to protect your company from losses in today’s digital retail environment.

Discover how RegTech streamlines compliance, reduces costs, and boosts risk management for businesses. Learn about its impact, use cases, market growth, and how AI is shaping the future of regulation.

Discover the essentials of regulatory reporting, its importance, challenges, and how technology and automation help ensure compliance and transparency in today’s financial landscape.

Discover how Relying Parties streamline secure user authentication, enhance digital experiences, and protect against fraud using trusted identity providers and protocols like SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect.

What is Remittance Fraud? Remittance fraud involves the fraudulent manipulation of funds when transferring money from one party to another across borders. This can occur through various channels,...

Discover how remote access fraud works, its risks, and how to protect yourself from evolving cyber threats. Learn key prevention tips and the latest statistics in this essential guide.

Discover how reputation score manipulation threatens trust online, the tactics behind it, and the latest tools and safeguards to protect your business’s credibility in the digital world.

In a reshipping scam, the criminals purchase high-value products with stolen credit cards and recruit willing or unsuspecting people (reshipping mules) to receive and forward the packages on behalf...

Discover what retail fraud is, its impact on businesses, and key prevention strategies. Learn about common fraud types and how advanced solutions help retailers fight back. Read more in our guide!

Discover how retailers can protect profits and reduce theft with effective loss prevention strategies, real-world use cases, and the latest industry statistics in this comprehensive guide.

What is Return Fraud? Return fraud is an online scam that occurs when a person purchases an item from a retail store with the intent to return it immediately or use duplicate receipts to get money...

Return on investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. ROI tries to directly measure the...

Discover what reverse money laundering is, how it works, its impact on crime and the economy, real-world examples, and strategies businesses can use to detect and prevent it.

Risk assessment is the systematic process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking. To assess the risks, different tools and methods can be...

Risk management describes the process and practices of companies in attempting to prevent malicious or fraudulent activity from occurring within their systems, as well as addressing any other issues...

What is risk-based authentication? Risk-based authentication (RBA) is a non-static authentication system that takes into account the profile (IP address, User-Agent HTTP header, time of access, and...

Discover how romance scams work, their emotional and financial impact, and how to protect yourself. Learn key signs, recent statistics, and effective strategies to stay safe online.

Discover how Rules Engines automate complex decision-making, boost efficiency, and enhance fraud detection across industries. Learn key benefits, challenges, use cases, and top tools in this guide.

Rules-based fraud detection identifies fraud based on a set of unusual attributes, including unusual time stamps, account numbers, transaction types, and amounts, among other criteria. How...

Discover the essentials of Run Of Network (RON) advertising—its benefits, challenges, use cases, and tips for maximizing brand reach and fraud protection in today’s digital marketing landscape.

SCA is defined as “an authentication based on the use of two or more elements categorized as knowledge (something only the user knows), possession (something only the user possesses) and inherence...

SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization, which is the art of having your website optimized, or attractive, to the major search engines for optimal indexing. It refers to the process of...

Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) are the pages displayed by search engines in response to a query by a searcher. The main component of the SERP is the listing of results that are returned by the...

Discover how SIM swapping threatens your digital security, the risks involved, and practical steps you and mobile carriers can take to prevent identity theft, financial loss, and account takeovers.

Discover how sales scams work, their impact on consumers, and ways to protect yourself and your business from fraud. Learn key tactics, prevention tips, and recent statistics in this insightful guide.

Sanctions and Watch Lists are critical tools used by governments, international organizations, and regulatory bodies to maintain global security, enforce compliance, and deter illegal activities.

Discover how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) strengthens corporate governance, boosts financial transparency, and protects investors with strict compliance standards and enhanced accountability.

The term scam refers to fraudulent schemes in which goods and money are taken from unsuspecting persons, generally through the deceit of the victim.

A fraudulent scheme performed by a dishonest individual, group, or company in an attempt to obtain money or something else of value. Scams traditionally resided in confidence tricks, where an...

Discover what scareware is, how it tricks users with fake alerts, the risks it poses, and practical tips to protect yourself and your business from these deceptive cyber threats. Stay informed and secure!

Learn how to spot and avoid scholarship scams, protect your personal information, and find legitimate financial aid opportunities with our expert tips and recent statistics. Stay safe while pursuing your dreams!

Discover how web scrapers automate data collection, their key benefits, legal considerations, and real-world uses—from fraud detection to market research—in this comprehensive guide for businesses.

Curious about Script Kiddies? Learn how these inexperienced hackers use pre-made tools, the risks they pose, common attack methods, and ways organizations can protect themselves.

Second party fraud, or money mules, is where a person allows another to use their identity or personal information to perform fraud. Businesses may find second party fraud difficult to detect and...

Discover how Secure Elements safeguard sensitive data in payment, ID, and IoT systems with tamper-resistant hardware, boosting security and trust in today’s digital world. Learn more in our latest article!

Discover how SEC rules ensure transparency, protect investors, and regulate U.S. securities markets, plus recent updates, real-world use cases, and modern compliance solutions.

Security protocol, also called cryptographic protocol, could be described as a sequence of operations that ensure the protection of data. Used with a communications protocol, it provides secure...

Security Threat and Risk Assessment can be defined as a technique that classifies the overall business and security risks with the aim of defining the competence of security controls, together with...

A security token is a physical device used to gain access to an electronically restricted resource. The token is used in addition to or in place of a password. It acts like an electronic key to...

Discover how self-learning fraud prevention systems use AI to adapt, detect, and reduce fraud in real time—enhancing security and streamlining operations for businesses across industries.

Sensitive data is defined as information that is protected against unwarranted disclosure. Access to sensitive data must be safeguarded. Protection of sensitive data may be required for legal or...

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom that investigates and prosecutes serious or complex fraud and corruption in England,...

Discover what shell companies are, how they operate, and the risks and regulations surrounding them. Learn how to spot misuse and protect your business from fraud in our latest guide!

Discover how shopping carts enhance online shopping, improve security, and impact e-commerce success. Learn key features, use cases, and tips to boost your digital shopping experience!

Discover how to protect your sensitive information from shoulder surfing—a common security risk in public places. Learn prevention tips, real-world examples, and effective solutions in this guide.

Discover what SIM cloning is, its security risks, real-world fraud cases, and how to protect yourself. Learn about rising threats and effective solutions to stay safe in today’s digital world.

Single sign-on (SSO) is a session and user authentication service that permits a user to use one set of login credentials (e.g., name and password) to access multiple applications. SSO can be used by...

Skimmers are essentially malicious card readers attached to real payment terminals so that they can harvest data from every person that swipes their cards. The typical ATM skimmer is a small device...

Discover how skimming helps you quickly identify key ideas in texts and learn about its role in combating payment card fraud, with expert tips and insights for readers and compliance professionals alike.

Discover how skimming attacks steal card data at ATMs, POS terminals, and online checkouts, plus tips and tools to protect yourself and your business from this growing threat.

Discover how skimming cash receipts threatens business integrity, how it’s detected, and proven ways to prevent it—essential tips for protecting your company from this common form of fraud.

Discover how smart cards enhance security, streamline digital transactions, and protect data across various industries. Learn about their features, uses, and future trends in this comprehensive guide.

Explore how smart contract fraud happens, common schemes, recent stats, and practical steps to protect yourself in the evolving world of blockchain-based contracts. Stay informed and secure!

Discover how "smishing" scams use SMS to steal personal info, why they’re rising, and practical tips to protect yourself and your business from these deceptive mobile phishing attacks.

The process of laundering money by breaking up large funds into multiple bank accounts to operate under the radar of law enforcement agencies.  In the gaming industry, the term refers to players who...

Discover the basics of network sniffing—how it works, its uses, risks, and security measures. Learn how to protect your data and why monitoring network traffic is crucial for cybersecurity.

Discover how social engineering exploits human psychology in cyberattacks, the latest tactics used by attackers, real-world examples, and practical steps to protect yourself and your organization.

Social media is a large platform where people entertain, communicate, and connect with the world. It consists of different social networking sites which can be used by hackers and fraudsters to steal...

Discover how Social Media Intelligence empowers businesses to analyze trends, enhance marketing, detect fraud, and make smarter decisions using real-time data from social platforms.

Learn how social media phishing works, the risks it poses, real-world scams, and prevention tips to protect yourself and your business from online threats. Stay safe with expert insights and strategies!

Social media tracking or monitoring is a process of using social media channels to track, gather and mine the information and data of certain individuals or groups, usually companies or...

Social Security fraud usually occurs when an unauthorized third-party gains access to an individual's Social Security number and exploits it for their own financial benefit.

A Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number that the U.S. government issues to all U.S. citizens and eligible U.S. residents who apply for one. The government uses this number to keep track...

Software piracy is the illegal copying, distribution, or use of software. It is such a profitable "business" that it has caught the attention of organized crime groups in a number of countries....

Spam refers to an irrelevant or inappropriate message sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients. These messages are often used by scammers to trick people into providing their personal...

Spear phishing describes when phishing is done with specific targets in mind; this allows messages to these people to appear more legitimate, or as if they are being sent by a legitimate user. For...

Discover how web spiders power search engines, aid in fraud prevention, and learn fascinating facts about spiders—from their role online to their place in nature—in this informative, easy-to-read guide.

A spoofing attack is when a malicious party impersonates another device or user on a network in order to launch attacks against network hosts, steal data, spread malware or bypass access controls.

Spyware is software that can be installed on a computer system or computer device without the device user's knowledge. The software allows the installer to directly obtain or convert information from...

Discover what state-sponsored fraud is, how it operates, real-world examples, recent statistics, and practical solutions for detection and prevention in this comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide.

A statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum time the parties involved have to initiate legal proceedings from the date of an alleged offense, whether civil or criminal. However, cases...

Stealing is the action that occurs when someone takes possession of another person's identity, posessions, or information without any legal rights and without any permission, without any intention of...

Stealing business secrets is the act of accessing a business's confidential information and revealing it to people who are not properly authorized to see that information. Intellectual property theft...

Discover how subscription billing fraud happens, its impact, and practical ways to protect yourself and your business from unauthorized charges and hidden fees in today's digital subscription landscape.

Supervised machine learning is the machine learning task of learning a function that maps an input to an output based on example input-output pairs. It infers a function from labeled training data...

Discover how supply chain fraud impacts businesses, common fraud types, key prevention strategies, and recent stats—plus how technology like AI can help protect your operations and reputation.

Discover what Suspicious Activity Monitoring is, why it’s crucial for financial security, and how modern tools help detect and prevent fraud. Learn key stats, use cases, and expert insights inside!

Learn what Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) are, why they're crucial for fighting financial crime, and how businesses can streamline compliance and detection in today’s evolving regulatory landscape.

Learn how to spot and avoid sweepstakes scams! Discover common tactics scammers use, real-world examples, and tips to protect yourself and your business from these fraudulent schemes.

A sweetheart scam is a situation where a scammer will pretend to be romantically interested in somebody, with the intention of learning their personal information so that they may commit fraud with...

The term 'swindler' refers to a person who takes advantage of others through deceit. Swindling occurs when a person defrauds another, causing the victim to suffer damage through unfaithfulness or...

Discover how synthetic business fraud threatens financial systems by blending real and fake data. Learn its impact, detection challenges, and how to protect your business in this essential guide.

Discover how synthetic data—artificially generated to mimic real-world data—enhances AI, ensures privacy, and powers innovation, with real-world use cases and the latest market trends.

Discover how synthetic identities blend real and fake data to commit fraud, their impact on financial systems, detection challenges, and how businesses can defend against this growing threat.

Discover how synthetic identity creation blends real and fake data to commit fraud, its impact on banks and consumers, and the latest trends, risks, and prevention strategies in this insightful guide.

Discover how synthetic identity fraud blends real and fake info to create false identities, the risks it poses to financial institutions, and tips to protect yourself in our latest blog post.

Discover how synthetic transactions—simulated user actions—help monitor, secure, and optimize applications, playing a key role in performance, fraud detection, and compliance for modern businesses.

Discover how System Integrators unify diverse technologies for seamless operations, tackle integration challenges, and boost fraud prevention—plus key stats and FAQs for businesses of all sizes.

The term "tax identity theft" represents fraud made by someone to get advantages in tax returns and tax payments. Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security...

Discover how tech support scams work, common tactics used by fraudsters, recent stats, and practical tips to protect yourself and your data from these increasingly sophisticated threats.

Discover what technology theft is, its impacts on businesses, and how to protect your innovations from unauthorized use with practical tips, real examples, and the latest industry statistics.