Fraud Investigator

What You'll Do

Koalafi partners with thousands of merchants across the country to offer point-of-sale financing and receives over a million customer applications per year. As a Fraud Investigator, you will monitor and research risk signals for both customers and merchants that could indicate some form of fraud is being committed. This includes a risk assessment during onboarding of new merchants, ongoing monitoring/review of merchant performance, and review of applications flagged for potential fraud.

As a Fraud Investigator, you will look for systemic patterns in suspicious customer and merchant behavior and conduct deep dives/investigations to determine legitimacy. This includes identity theft, synthetic IDs, manipulated IDs, taking advantage of vulnerable persons, and taking advantage of family or friends. Fraud Investigators have several tools available to assist in their research, such as application data, internal system of record data, internet search data, and third-party fraud prevention tools. You will be expected to use these tools and call available telephone numbers to reach as accurate a conclusion as possible.

In this role you will:

• Identify systemic patterns in suspicious customer and merchant behavior and conduct investigations
• Review and evaluate all new merchant partners during onboarding, to ensure we are partnering with the right stores and good actors
• Manage inbound fraud claims and perform ad hoc research into uncommon scenarios that could indicate foul play
• Leverage tools such as application data, internal system of record data, internet search data, and third-party fraud prevention tools to reach accurate investigation conclusions
• Collaborate across multiple departments, such as Sales, Operations, Fraud Analytics, and Compliance

About You (Qualifications)

• 2+ years of relevant experience in fraud detection, investigation, or related financial services experience
• Strong pattern recognition and attention to detail, with a strong commitment to quality, accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality
• Ability to conduct thorough research using multiple data sources
• Experience documenting processes, procedures, and investigation findings
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills; you're comfortable having difficult conversations with merchants
• Strong sense of ownership and motivation to stop fraudsters
• Proficiency in tools like Microsoft Excel and Word; familiarity with fraud databases or investigative platforms is a plus
• Ability to work independently and efficiently, both in-person and on work from home days
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with strong prioritization skills and ability to handle multiple responsibilities at once
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred
• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent certification
• Location Requirement: This position requires regular in-person attendance at our office (Richmond, VA). Candidates must already be located within a commutable distance to our office location, as relocation assistance is not available at this time.