Contact center fraud has been steadily on the rise—and it’s getting more sophisticated by the day. Scammers use increasingly complex social engineering tactics to trick agents, bypass security protocols, and exploit vulnerabilities in high-volume support environments. Many of these fraud attempts slip past static fraud filters or manual QA processes, costing companies millions and eroding customer trust.
With $16.6 billion in consumer fraud losses reported in 2024 alone, around $1.9 billion of that stemmed from scams conducted through contact centers. It’s clear that traditional approaches to fraud detection aren’t keeping up.
That’s where conversation intelligence comes in. AI-powered platforms like Creovai help contact centers detect suspicious language patterns at scale, and with real-time agent guidance, enable agents on the frontlines to intervene. While you can monitor language that signals fraud after the interaction happens, you can now potentially stop it as it’s happening.
Understanding the new face of contact center fraud
Fraud that targets the contact center is becoming more and more common, and the methods through which it occurs are becoming increasingly hard to spot. Here are some of the most frequent types of call center fraud:
- Account Takeover (ATO): Impersonators use stolen or fabricated information to gain access to customer accounts.
- Refund Abuse: Bad actors repeat known successful scams—often with slight script variations—to secure illegitimate refunds.
- Social Engineering: Scammers manipulate agents emotionally or verbally, using urgency, flattery, or confusion to bypass normal procedures.
- Voice Spoofing and Deepfakes: Advanced fraudsters use AI-generated voices to impersonate customers or authorized users.
These scams cost companies more than money—they also impact the customer experience for legitimate customers and erode agent confidence in the process.
So, how can contact centers fight back? The answer lies in smarter tools that help detect and respond to fraud in real time—without slowing down service. That’s where conversation intelligence and agent assistance technology come in.
What is conversation intelligence?
Conversation intelligence is a type of AI technology that uses machine learning to analyze agent–customer interactions across voice, chat, and email channels. Machine learning models examine patterns in language—based on the actual words and phrases (or utterances) used during conversations—to detect key events, topics, and behaviors. In the context of fraud detection, it allows contact centers to:
- Monitor recurring language patterns tied to known scams.
- Analyze large volumes of conversations quickly and routinely.
- Flag behaviors and phrases that may otherwise go unnoticed.
By using conversation intelligence, teams can go far beyond manual QA spot-checks or rigid keyword filters—and combat fraud at scale.
Real-time fraud response with Creovai Agent Assist
While conversation intelligence is a powerful technology for detecting fraud post-interaction, it becomes even more valuable when combined with real-time agent assistance software, such as Creovai Agent Assist.
When risky language is detected during a live call, Agent Assist can immediately:
- Alert the agent that the conversation may be a fraud attempt
- Prompt specific next steps, such as:
- Asking additional verification questions
- Using neutral language to end or delay the interaction
- Routing the interaction to a specialized fraud team
These real-time prompts are powered by insights uncovered through Conversation Intelligence. Contact center leaders can configure Agent Assist to recognize phrases tied to specific fraud-related categories—originally identified through Conversation Intelligence—and trigger the appropriate alert or guidance for agents.
This turns passive detection into proactive protection—giving your agents the tools to intervene early and confidently.
How to set up conversation intelligence for fraud detection
Implementing a solution like Creovai is straightforward. Here’s how to get started:
1. Connect to your existing tech stack
Creovai integrates with leading CCaaS and CRM platforms like 8x8, Five9, Genesys, NICE, Salesforce, and Zendesk. Custom setups are supported via open API.
2. Define and detect high-risk language patterns
Use your historical call data—or Creovai’s pre-built fraud detection models—to identify red-flag phrases and behaviors. Common examples include:
- “I lost my phone and need to reset my account.”
- “Can you bypass the verification step?”
- “Just send the refund, it’s urgent.”
These phrases can be turned into fraud categories that Creovai uses to flag risky interactions across all channels.
3. Enable Agent Assist prompts
Once risky language is defined, configure real-time prompts so that agents get alerted mid-conversation and know what to do.
4. Set up notifications and dashboards
Automatically notify fraud teams or supervisors when high-risk language is detected. Use Creovai Conversation Intelligence dashboards to:
- Track flagged interactions
- Monitor agent responses
- Identify trends by product, team, or geography
Best practices for contact center fraud prevention
Conversation intelligence works best when paired with strong operational and compliance strategies. Here are a few best practices:
- Tailor detection rules to fit your products, industry, and historical fraud patterns
- Use flagged calls as coaching opportunities to help agents recognize and respond to fraud scenarios
- Measure and refine how agents respond to real-time alerts over time
- Regularly update your fraud models and triggers as scammers evolve their tactics
- Use insights from conversation intelligence to inform and enhance other fraud detection systems—like voice biometrics, ticketing workflows, or multi-factor authentication tools
By integrating insights across tools and teams, you can build a more adaptive and resilient fraud defense strategy.
Case study: How Thrasio reduced refund fraud with Creovai
Thrasio, a global e-commerce company managing over 200 brands, needed to develop a systematic approach for catching and handling fraudulent refund requests. With thousands of calls and tickets flowing in each week, the team lacked a scalable way to track and respond to suspicious patterns.
The Thrasio Global Services team was already using Creovai Conversation Intelligence for QA automation and realized it could also support their fraud prevention efforts. Thrasio:
- Used historical call data to define red-flag refund language.
- Built custom categories in Creovai to flag those phrases automatically.
- Set up email alerts to relevant team members when a fraud hit occurs.
The result: Refund fraud dropped significantly. Teams could intervene early, adjust policies, and save thousands in potential losses.
“We believe that bad actors previously targeting us have greatly reduced their efforts after seeing their attempts have been unsuccessful.”
— Miranda Grigar, Customer Obsession Manager, Thrasio
Conclusion: Don’t just detect fraud—prevent it
In the modern contact center, fraudsters move fast—and they repeat the same scams over and over. Your team can’t afford to rely on manual review alone.
With Creovai, you get:
- Proactive fraud detection through conversation intelligence
- Real-time agent alerts via Agent Assist
- Post-call insights that drive better coaching and policies
Together, these tools help you spot patterns faster, respond smarter, and protect your business before damage is done.
Request a demo to see how Creovai helps prevent fraud in real time.
