DAT Freight & Analytics says new tool tackles spike in identity fraud

Online freight marketplace operator DAT Freight & Analytics this week launched an identity-fraud detection and prevention platform, adding a new tool to the industry’s fight against a rash of cargo theft that has sprung up in recent months.

Like so many other industries, the truckload freight market has been plagued by bad actors looking to exploit carriers, brokers, and shippers with various identity theft scams, DAT says. The company reports that 56% of the fraud cases it investigates are identity-related, driven by account takeovers, credential stuffing, new-account fraud, and synthetic (BOT) accounts.

In response, Beaverton, Oregon-based DAT created the platform through a partnership with digital security firm Verosint, and says it will help prevent the unauthorized use of customer login credentials and combat the growing threat of identity theft in trucking and logistics.

This new technology allows DAT to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to validate user identities and scrutinize suspicious accounts. Users of the DAT network can now:

• Verify the identity of the entities they are doing business with.
• Ensure the legitimacy of load postings on the DAT load board.
• Monitor, detect and block fraud in real time. 
• Leverage industry-leading DAT rules, signals and intelligence to identify signatures and block fraud.

Those abilities arrive on top of previous steps in DAT’s multifaceted fraud-prevention program, including:

• Predictive fraud detection, identity verification and multi-factor authentication to detect and stop suspicious logins.
• An expanded Network Integrity Unit (NIU) dedicated to investigating reports of fraud and maintaining DAT as the most trusted freight marketplace.
• Anti-fraud education and training for customers.
• Collaboration with customers and industry partners, law enforcement agencies and regulators in the fight against fraud.

“Identity-based cybercrime is challenging all businesses, and account fraud is a key enabler of these crimes,” Stephen Shoaff, CEO and co-founder of Verosint, said in a release. “We are thrilled DAT chose our platform to monitor all identity transactions for real-time detection and prevention of fraud. Our combined expertise will deliver the industry’s highest protection against fraudulent identity events, setting what we believe to be a new standard.”