Mainstage Session 5: The Hidden Culprit: Unmasking Fraud in Rising Delinquency Rates (TU)

02:10 PM - Thursday, October 09
Salon A/B

Synthetic fraud is when criminals create fake identities to build credit and eventually default, causing financial losses while appearing legitimate. This form of fraud is particularly difficult to detect because the identities appear legitimate and often mimic the behavior of genuine new-to-credit consumers. Recent analysis shows that fraudsters are leveraging long-term strategies to build credible synthetic identities, gain access to substantial credit, and then default intentionally, causing significant industry losses disguised as bad consumers. In this session we will expose a previously undetected form of fraud - lurking synthetic fraud - now contributing to rising delinquency rates. In this session you will gain groundbreaking insights into how this fraud has infiltrated the new-to-credit segment, often misattributed as the source of delinquency spikes. TransUnion’s analysis reveals that legitimate NTC consumers—such as newcomers and younger Canadians—remain creditworthy, while fraudsters exploit expanded access to credit to mask their intentions. This session is a valuable for fraud strategists, risk managers, and financial leaders looking to stay ahead of evolving threats in a digitally connected world.

Speakers

Andrew Sigfrid

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Andrew Sigfrid
Senior Manager, Fraud Analytics - TransUnion Canada

With 14 years of experience in financial services, including 11 years specializing in fraud, Andrew brings a unique blend of expertise in fraud, credit risk, and identity management. His analytical training in statistics, combined with practical business strategy knowledge, enables him to effectively bring new ideas and solutions to the fraud prevention ecosystem. Andrew leads the Fraud Data & Analytics team at TransUnion Canada and designed and developed TransUnion’s consortium fraud score, the Identity Exchange. Having worked on both the client side and with credit bureaus, Andrew has extensive experience in data sharing and consortiums, as the provider and the user of such programs.