E‑commerce Fraud: Bots, Returns, and Loyalty Abuse

In this episode of The Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman catch up with John Tolbert, Director of Cybersecurity Research at KuppingerCole Analysts, to talk about the rapidly evolving world of Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms (FRIP).

They explore:

• The six capabilities of modern fraud reduction systems
• How AI and machine learning are both helping and hurting fraud prevention
• Why shared signals and orchestration are critical for financial and e-commerce use cases
• How identity verification, device intelligence, and behavioral biometrics work together
• The role of usability and integration in FRI adoption

Plus, stick around for a fun discussion about concerts, classic rock, and which legendary bands they wish they’d seen live.

Listen now to learn how identity, fraud, and AI are colliding — and what’s next for fraud intelligence.

Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-tolbert/

Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms - Finance (KuppingerCole Report): https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc80841/fraud-reduction-intelligence-platforms-finance

Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms - eCommerce (KuppingerCole Report): https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/bc81030/fraud-reduction-intelligence-platforms-ecommerce

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/

Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/

Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com

Chapter Timestamps:

00:00 – Jim’s passwordless rant and setup woes

05:00 – Introducing guest John Tolbert

06:30 – Catching up: four years since John’s last appearance

07:30 – What is CIAM and how has it evolved?

09:30 – Understanding Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms (FRIP)

10:00 – The six core capabilities of FRI solutions

13:00 – Are most vendors point solutions or full platforms?

14:00 – How identity verification is improving

16:00 – SaaS and API-driven fraud detection models

18:00 – What kinds of fraud can (and can’t) FRI prevent?

21:00 – The growing problem of bots and automation

22:00 – Fraud trends in finance: scams, account takeovers, and synthetic identities

25:00 – Information sharing and the role of shared signals

28:00 – Collaboration vs. competition in fraud prevention

31:00 – Fraud in e-commerce: bots, loyalty points, and returns abuse

34:00 – Streaming and citizen fraud use cases

36:00 – Where do FRI capabilities fit within IAM platforms?

43:00 – The importance of orchestration and integration

44:30 – The role of AI and ML in fraud prevention

47:30 – Smart questions for evaluating FRI vendors

50:30 – Concert talk: Pink Floyd, Metallica, and the ones that got away

58:00 – Wrap-up and where to find John Tolbert’s reports

Keywords:

Fraud Reduction Intelligence, FRI Platforms, John Tolbert, KuppingerCole, Identity at the Center, IDAC, IAM, CIAM, Cybersecurity Research, Fraud Prevention, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Behavioral Biometrics, Device Intelligence, Identity Verification, Risk Orchestration, API Security, Financial Fraud, E-Commerce Fraud, Shared Signals, Jim McDonald, Jeff Steadman, IDAC Podcast