International Fraud Detection Solutions
Our proprietary research delivers critical real-time insight into the financial infrastructure used by cybercriminals
Modern Internet Fraud
About two decades ago, the Fraud Squad at New Scotland Yard started to investigate the growing use of the internet by advance-fee fraudsters.
Criminal forums were surprisingly open. By setting up a pseudonymous email address, you could slip in and watch as fraudsters swapped tips, shared tools, and traded stolen data in plain sight. Disputes often caused forums to splinter, but we could track these shifts and keep a close eye on emerging networks.
In everyday slang, a "dobber" is someone who informs on the (criminal) behaviour of others. However, where internet fraud was concerned, the "dobbers" were actually specialist criminals whose role was to find & supply personal data — mainly Date of Birth (DOB) + Electoral Roll (ER). With just those two details, fraudsters could unlock credit files, open accounts, and commit identity fraud.
At the time, dobbers charged as little as £10–£25 for basic lookups. They quickly became an essential part of the fraud supply chain.
Fast forward two decades, and the role hasn’t disappeared — it has professionalised. Today, organised crime groups rely on dobbers to source data from compromised websites, criminal marketplaces, and even legitimate marketing companies (purchased, of course, with stolen credit cards).
After the COVID-19 pandemic, UK-based dobbers innovated again — creating “ready-made fraud packages.” These could include registering a company in the victim’s name, opening a bank account, and even securing a Government Gateway ID. Prices range from £250 to £1,000, depending on the level of sophistication and whether a Fintech or High Street Bank account was supplied.
What began as a few individuals selling DOB + ER checks has evolved into a permanent, highly specialised role in online fraud networks. As long as personal data has value, dobbers and those who rely on them will keep adapting.
Expert Solutions
At Money Laundering Intelligence, we are dedicated to providing intelligence that is crucial for proactively mitigating fraud losses, securing customer assets, and bolstering compliance efforts. We monitor the unique financial vectors targeting businesses providing early warning for high-stakes fraud.
Advance Fee Fraud
We systematically track and identify bank accounts worldwide actively advertised and used to receive the proceeds of Advance Fee Frauds (AFF). This includes a wide array of prevalent online scams, such as: Authorized Push Payment (APP) Fraud, Romance Scams, Inheritance/ Estate Scams, Lottery Fraud.
Check (Cheque), Business Email and CEO Fraud Vectors
We monitor the unique financial vectors targeting businesses, providing early warning for high-stakes corporate fraud including: Forged Check Fraud, Approved Push Payment (APP) Fraud, Account Takeover (ATO), Business Email Compromise (BEC) and CEO Fraud.
We identify and document bank account details compromised through social engineering (e.g., employee impersonation, third-party compromise) used to create and issue forged checks. These are typically deployed in 'Overpayment' or 'Work-at-Home' schemes.
Corporate Exposure: While the liability often falls on the victim who cashes the check, the organization whose account details are compromised faces a significantly heightened risk of future sophisticated attacks.
Compromised Account Monitoring on the Dark Web
We continuously monitor criminal forums on the dark web for the trading of stolen financial data. We specifically track and catalogue bank accounts advertised as compromised and actively controlled by threat actors.
Identified Risks: These accounts, often referred to as "Mule Sleeper" accounts, represent significant risk. They may be genuine, compromised customer accounts or synthetic accounts created using stolen identity data.
Mitigation Focus: This intelligence enables institutions to pre-emptively identify and mitigate risks associated with Account Takeover (ATO) and large-scale Identity Fraud before the victim is even aware of the compromise.
Criminal-Sourced Bank Account Creation Infrastructure
We penetrate deep into specialized criminal forums (North America, UK, West Africa, etc.) to expose the tactics and accounts used by criminal organizations to set up new financial infrastructure.
Data Sourcing: This includes documentation of bank statements, utility bills, and other personal identifiers advertised as being used to open new accounts. This data is reportedly sourced from credit agencies, corporate registries, phishing operations, and stolen marketing lists.
Strategic Insight: This information provides insight into the criminals' methods for circumventing identity verification controls, allowing institutions to adjust their onboarding and monitoring procedures accordingly.
Contact Us
Money Laundering Intelligence
Terminal House, Shepperton TW17 8AS, UK
