Fraud is no longer an occasional disruption in banking – it’s a constant operational challenge. The FTC reports that check fraud complaints doubled between 2021 and 2023, while early 2025 projections from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) show continuing year-over-year growth in account takeovers, digital payment scams, and elder-targeted fraud.

Financial institutions now face two converging pressures:

1. Members and customers expect instant payments and frictionless service.
2. Criminals are using advanced tools, including AI and deepfakes, to scale attacks.

To compete and survive in this environment, institutions must build fraud strategies around three interconnected pillars:

1. Real-Time Fraud Detection Tools
2. Executive Leadership Buy-In
3. Continuous Staff Training

Pillar 1: Real-Time Fraud Detection Tools

The speed of money movement has never been greater -thanks to FedNow instant payments, same-day ACH, and P2P platforms like Zelle. Unfortunately, fraudsters are just as fast.

Legacy detection systems that review transactions the next business day are effectively obsolete. By the time a suspicious transaction is flagged, the funds are usually unrecoverable.

“Fraud doesn’t wait for the morning report. If your detection does, you’re already too late.”

Real-time fraud detection platforms  – such as those powered by advanced AI – give institutions the ability to:

• Place holds on suspect deposits within minutes.
• Contact account holders before they unknowingly send funds to scammers.
• Block or reverse high-risk transactions before settlement.

These capabilities transform fraud prevention from a reactive process into a proactive defense.

Pillar 2: Executive Leadership Buy-In

Even the best technology will fail without full leadership support. Fraud prevention measures often require:

• Adjustments to transaction processing policies.
• Integration with multiple internal systems.
• Authority for staff to delay or stop questionable transactions.

When executives prioritize fraud prevention, resources are allocated, teams are empowered, and cross-departmental cooperation becomes possible. Without that buy-in, fraud teams are left with alerts they can’t act on fast enough -and losses mount.

“Without executive support, fraud prevention is just data without action.”

Pillar 3: Continuous Staff Training

Technology handles detection at scale, but human awareness is still critical. Frontline staff -tellers, call center reps, loan officers -are the first to spot unusual behavior.

Quarterly training sessions and real-time trend updates ensure staff can:

• Recognize altered checks or forged endorsements.
• Identify social engineering attempts in real time.
• Ask the right questions when a withdrawal or wire is outside normal behavior.

In 2025, scams evolve monthly. Staff need to be updated regularly on tactics like:

• Spoofed government agency calls.
• “Job offer” check scams targeting multiple age groups.
• Account takeover attempts through stolen multi-factor authentication codes.

Why These Pillars Must Work Together

Each pillar strengthens the others:

• Real-time tools identify fraud instantly.
• Executive buy-in ensures immediate action on alerts.
• Continuous training keeps staff ready for evolving threats.

If any one element is missing, the system breaks down. A powerful AI detection engine is wasted if staff aren’t empowered to act. Likewise, leadership commitment is meaningless if frontline teams can’t spot or respond to suspicious activity.

The ROI of a Three-Pillar Approach

Institutions that combine these elements see measurable results:

• Losses drop sharply as fraud is stopped before funds leave.
• Technology investments often pay for themselves within months.
• Member trust grows when fraud is prevented instead of repaired.

A Call to Action for Financial Institutions

To build a fraud strategy ready for 2025 and beyond:

1. Audit your detection speed -is it truly real-time?
2. Align leadership on the financial and reputational risks of delayed action.
3. Establish ongoing training that adapts to new scam patterns as they emerge.

Fraud prevention isn’t just a compliance necessity – it’s a competitive advantage. Members remember the institution that protected their money before it was lost.RembrandtAi® gives financial institutions the real-time detection, instant rule adjustment, and integration capabilities to build a fraud prevention strategy on solid ground. Learn more at rembrandtai.com.