Developer guide for fraud prevention APIs up with the many ways crooks evade security software is a full time job for fraud detection teams. That’s why it’s important for developers to grok the latest methods so that they can build safeguards into the products they build and sell.

The best way to prevent fraud is by using an API (application programming interface) – software that allows for seamless transfer of data between sites and apps. This enables a third party to analyze user or payment information in real time for signs of fraud, and users who are classified as higher risk can be subjected to additional verification or screening without impacting the end customer experience.

Sift empowers ecommerce businesses to break free from fraud with its fraud detection API. It’s built on the ethos that users are innocent until proven guilty, which ensures well intending customers aren’t unnecessarily turned away through rejection or a complicated user experience. Its scalable pricing model also lets businesses scale their use of the API to fit their business needs.

When to Use Fraud Prevention APIs

The right time to use a fraud prevention API is when a user takes an important action, such as signing up for an account, making a purchase, logging in or updating their billing information. The API can then instantly run a complete fraud detection system over the user or payment information to assess risk, and return a risk score and reputation metrics. This enables you to block users, payments or transactions and take further action depending on the score returned.