In an aggressive move to outpace fraudsters, Patriot Federal Credit Union has partnered with Scienaptic AI, integrating its advanced AI-driven fraud detection platform to combat rising threats like identity theft and synthetic identity fraud.

The deal brings Scienaptic’s FraudShield platform into Patriot’s loan underwriting engine, enabling real-time fraud detection with minimal customer disruption. The integration promises not only earlier fraud detection, but also smoother approvals and fewer false alarms — a much-needed trifecta in today’s high-stakes digital lending landscape.

Real-Time Defense Against Evolving Threats

“Fraud is fast-moving and increasingly complex, especially with synthetic identities becoming harder to spot,” said Tricia Wareham, SVP of Consumer Lending at Patriot. “We needed a solution that could act in real time without creating unnecessary friction.”

With FraudShield, Patriot gains access to Scienaptic’s behavioral signal analytics and machine learning algorithms, capable of aggregating multiple data sources and surfacing fraud risks before they snowball. It’s AI tuned not just to detect known red flags, but to spot subtle patterns and anomalies — the kind that traditional rules-based systems often miss.

Synthetic Identity Fraud: A Rising Challenge

Synthetic identity fraud is particularly insidious. Instead of stealing real identities, fraudsters create new ones from scratch — often using a mix of real and fake credentials. These synthetic profiles can build legitimate credit histories before defaulting, leaving lenders on the hook.

It’s a $6 billion+ problem, and growing. AI systems like FraudShield aim to close the gap between detection and response by monitoring transaction behavior, cross-referencing data points, and flagging inconsistencies in real time.

For credit unions like Patriot — which must balance security with member experience — the ability to screen threats invisibly is crucial.

Fewer False Positives, Smarter Approvals

“We’re proactively identifying threats, reducing false positives, and maintaining the seamless experience our members expect,” Wareham noted.

Scienaptic says its clients are already seeing meaningful reductions in fraud losses, without added strain on operations or friction for legitimate users. That matters when approval speed is a differentiator, and trust is currency.

“FraudShield is designed to stop fraud before it starts, without slowing down genuine members,” said Eric Steinhoff, EVP of Client Impact at Scienaptic AI. “Our platform helps credit unions detect anomalies early, reduce operational strain, and confidently approve more members.”

AI at the Core of Credit Union Modernization

This partnership isn’t just about fraud prevention. It reflects a broader trend of credit unions modernizing their tech stacks with embedded AI and smarter decisioning engines — not only for risk management, but also for financial inclusion and lending efficiency.

Platforms like Scienaptic’s help financial institutions analyze thin files, uncover hidden creditworthiness, and serve underbanked populations — all while managing fraud risk in parallel.

As credit unions face mounting pressure to scale digital services and combat increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics, expect more institutions to adopt real-time, AI-powered decisioning platforms like FraudShield.

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