What is account takeover (ATO) fraud?

Account takeover fraud happens when a bad actor gains unauthorized access to a user account, often through stolen credentials or social engineering. Once inside, they can steal data, make purchases, or commit further fraud.

How does Sift prevent account takeover attacks?

Sift uses AI-powered machine learning models and behavioral signals to detect suspicious activity in real time, stopping account takeover attempts before damage is done—without disrupting legitimate users.

What is payment fraud in digital commerce?

Payment fraud involves unauthorized or deceptive transactions, such as using stolen credit card information or exploiting checkout processes to avoid payment.

Can Sift reduce chargebacks from payment fraud?

Yes. Sift’s AI-powered decisioning blocks fraudulent transactions in real time, helping reduce chargebacks, fees, and manual review costs.

How does Sift use machine learning to detect fraud?

Sift uses continuously trained machine learning models that analyze behavioral signals, device data, and global fraud patterns to detect and stop fraud in real time.

Sift is the AI-powered fraud platform delivering identity trust for leading global businesses. Our deep investments in machine learning and user identity, a data network scoring 1 trillion events per year, and a commitment to long-term customer success empower more than 700 customers to grow fearlessly. Brands including DoorDash, Yelp, and Poshmark rely on Sift to unlock growth and deliver seamless consumer experiences. Visit us at sift.com.

Block Account Takeover Before It Costs Trust and Revenue

One compromised login can drain stored value and put years of earned trust at risk. Sift connects the signals other tools miss and blocks account takeover in milliseconds, with no added friction for legitimate users.

See Sift in Action

Account Takeover Puts More Than the Account on the Line

Bot detection can identify automated traffic, but not whether the person behind a login belongs there. Using stolen or phished credentials, attackers can quietly maintain access for weeks before draining stored value or stealing data. By then, the damage extends beyond the account to customer trust, retention, and revenue.

65%

of breached accounts are estimated to have had MFA enabled at the time of compromise.

Source: Obsidian Security

75%

of consumers would stop using a site where they experienced ATO.

Source: Sift

Built to Catch the Account Takeover That Bot Detection Misses

Verify who is logging in, not just the traffic.
A human session doesn’t mean the person belongs there. Sift combines patented ATO risk scoring with device, location, behavioral, and network signals to uncover suspicious logins and fraud patterns your own data may miss.

Understand every decision, not just the score.
Sift shows why a login was approved, flagged, challenged, or blocked. Clear explanations give analysts the context to investigate faster, make consistent decisions, and act with confidence instead of relying on a score alone.

Add authentication without another vendor.
Built-in email and SMS verification deploy quickly and can be branded as your own. Teams can configure step-up experiences without a heavy engineering lift while keeping authentication, decisioning, and investigation in one place.

AccountTakeover_Solutions-Overview-Circle@2x

Real Impact for Real Teams

47%

reduction in financial losses

$4.2M

in median fraud losses prevented annually per customer

150ms

real-time scoring

Fine-Tune Friction, Protect Order Acceptance

Large-scale account attacks are often a sign your business is growing, not shrinking. Adaptive multi-factor authentication protects profits and arms against ATO without turning away hard-won orders.

See Risk Clearly, Let Trusted Users Through

Trusted users deserve a frictionless experience, and that’s exactly what they get. Real-time risk alerts and continuous, post-login monitoring protect every user automatically, so growth and security aren’t a tradeoff.

Manage Fraud at Scale Without Scaling Your Team

Automate routine risk decisions and speed up manual review with an intuitive investigation interface. A complete view of account activity and cross-merchant signals helps teams catch ATO early and cut friction.