Accounts are the backbone of digital commerce, but they’re also a prime target for fraudsters looking for the next big score. When attackers gain access to existing accounts or create fake accounts, the damage doesn’t stop there. Fake signups can lead to scam listings, account takeovers can lead to stolen funds, and can open the door to other types of downstream fraud.

That’s why Account Protect is designed to stop account fraud at its origin, cutting off the downstream multiplier effect before it starts. And now, we’re adding another layer to our multi-layered detection engine: AI-powered email scoring.

What’s new: AI-powered email scoring

The latest update introduces a machine learning model to Account Protect that evaluates the legitimacy of an email address by analyzing structural and linguistic signals that often reveal fraudulent behavior. This new AI model looks for:

• Structural anomalies like excessive numbers, uncommon character sequences, unusual domain extensions, or disposable email domains
• Linguistic patterns like randomly generated strings (a9xk3p@…), suspicious dictionary mashups (john.bank.verify@…), or improbable name/word combinations
• Behavior-linked markers like addresses tied to high-volume signups, known credential dumps, or patterns that deviate from typical consumer email behavior

Each email is then assigned a dynamic risk score that updates in real time. Fraud teams can see this score in the dashboard and combine it with device, session, and behavioral signals to act with precision.

Why email scoring matters

Fraudsters know email addresses are one of the easiest identifiers to fake. They use them to:

• Create throwaway accounts at scale for scams
• Launch credential stuffing campaigns with breached data
• Build synthetic identities to bypass checks

Static rules, like blocklists or regex filters, can’t keep pace. Attackers adapt by switching domains, modifying patterns, or moving from random strings to dictionary-based names.

AI-powered email scoring closes that gap by continuously learning from the patterns it sees, forcing attackers to invest more time and resources to evade detection.

AI email scoring in action

On its own, the AI-generated email score provides powerful insight into whether an address looks genuine or risky. But the real strength comes when it’s combined with other Account Protect signals, allowing fraud teams to connect the dots between behaviors and outcomes. 

For instance, attackers often script large volumes of fake signups and then tweak details manually to slip past defenses. When a high-risk email score aligns with these human-driven inconsistencies, Account Protect can identify the activity as coordinated abuse and block it before it spreads.

In another case, when risky email scores overlap with repeated login failures or suspicious session anomalies, they point to credential stuffing or brute-force attempts. With this context, fraud teams can prioritize blocking these attacks before they succeed.

By combining email scores with behavioral, session, and reputation data, Account Protect builds a multi-dimensional risk picture. This layered approach makes it harder for attackers to hide behind a single tactic, while reducing false positives for legitimate users.

Part of a bigger defense strategy

Email scoring is just one of many signals that feed Account Protect’s real-time risk engine. Together, these capabilities prevent fraud in real-time, from fake signups and account takeovers to credential abuse and downstream schemes, while reducing the burden of manual reviews and protecting the customer experience.

The outcome: Stronger fraud prevention, seamless experience for users

With AI-powered email scoring, Account Protect continues to evolve ahead of attackers, giving fraud teams deeper context and greater precision. Most importantly, it reduces the burden of manual reviews while preserving a seamless customer experience.

The result:

• Fraud losses are minimized before they snowball
• Reliance on costly per-transaction third-party tools is reduced
• Customers, revenue, and brand integrity are better protected

Want to see AI email scoring in action? Request a demo to see how Account Protect can help stop fraud at the source.