While credit unions are busy serving their members, fraudsters are out there sharing tips like they’re part of some twisted book club.
The good news? Credit unions are finally getting better at playing the same game through powerful new industry collaborations. Both LEVERAGE—the service corporation behind The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates—and the Cooperative Credit Union Association (CCUA) have teamed up with Rippleshot to give credit unions a major boost in the fraud prevention department. Think of it as bringing a cybersecurity expert to a knife fight, except the knives are stolen credit card numbers and everyone’s wearing a ski mask.
What’s Actually in These Partnerships?
Credit unions across these networks now get access to two powerful tools: Fraud Interceptor and the Fraud Intelligence Collective. Both platforms do something that’s been sorely needed—they let credit unions stop playing defense and start getting ahead of fraud before it happens.
“Fraud is becoming more sophisticated, more widespread, and more difficult for any institution to fight alone,” noted Steve Willis, president of LEVERAGE. Echoing that sentiment, Melissa Pomeroy, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the CCUA, emphasized: “Our partnership with Rippleshot gives members another resource to strengthen their fraud prevention strategies with actionable intelligence and innovative technology.”
Translation: the days of fighting fraud in isolation are over, and it’s time to join forces.
How Fraud Interceptor Works
Fraud Interceptor is essentially a crystal ball for fraud teams, minus the mysticism and plus a whole lot of data science. It analyzes anonymized transaction patterns from a massive network of financial institutions to spot sketchy merchants, BIN attacks, and new fraud trends as they emerge.
The best part? Credit unions can research suspicious merchants, set up proactive blocking rules, and shut down fraud before it spreads—all without installing new software or begging their IT team for help. Rippleshot’s analysts even provide ongoing support, ensuring fraud teams aren’t left figuring everything out on their own.
Enter the Fraud Intelligence Collective
If Fraud Interceptor is the crystal ball, the Fraud Intelligence Collective is the secret society—except it’s invitation-only and everyone’s actually trying to help each other. This vetted network lets fraud professionals compare notes and share intelligence in real time.
When something suspicious pops up, fraud teams can quickly determine whether it’s an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern hitting institutions nationwide. It’s like having a group chat with the smartest fraud fighters in the business, except way more secure and professional.
Privacy Still Matters
Before anyone panics about data sharing: neither solution requires exposing member-level personal information. Fraud Interceptor uses anonymized transaction signals, and the Fraud Intelligence Collective operates in a secure, trusted environment with approved participants only.
Nalani Brown, Vice President of Operations at Rippleshot, summed it up nicely regarding the broader momentum: “LEVERAGE is building tremendous momentum as it continues to evolve and expand the value it delivers to credit unions… It’s clear how much [these associations] care about their member credit unions, and that’s what made [these partnerships] so easy to get excited about.”
In other words, credit unions now have access to the kind of intelligence and collaboration tools that actually match the sophistication of modern fraud. It’s about time.