Fraud
Also known as: Financial fraud · Consumer fraud · Scam
Deliberate deception to obtain an undue advantage — credit, an insurance payout, an asset, a payment — at the expense of whoever trusted the information presented.
At Zarv
85% less fraud in operations that run Zarv ID at the front door.
Every fraud exploits the same thing: the gap between what is declared and what is true. An inflated income, a borrowed or synthetic identity, a staged accident, an impostor on the phone. The company decides on what it was shown, and fraud is the work of making the false look consistent.
The scale is not abstract. People reported losing about $16 billion to fraud to the FTC in 2025, the highest on record — and that counts only what consumers reported, not the losses lenders, insurers and rental companies absorb directly.
A single data point rarely catches it. Each piece of information, in isolation, usually checks out. What gives fraud away is incoherence across independent sources, and connections to other cases of the same shape, because fraud at scale reuses people, addresses and devices. Zarv ID cross-checks more than 200 sources before approval, and operations that use it at the front door cut fraud by 85%.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fraud and a scam?
In everyday usage a scam is fraud aimed at an individual who is tricked into handing over money or information, such as an impostor call. Fraud is the broader term and also covers deception against companies, such as a fake identity on a loan application or a staged insurance claim.
Where do I report fraud in the US?
Consumers can report scams and fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and internet-enabled crime to the FBI's IC3. Contact your bank or card issuer immediately if money left an account, and your state insurance fraud bureau for insurance fraud.