For omnichannel retailers, fraud prevention in 2026 is no longer centred on static rules at the point of payment. As customer journeys stretch across apps, stores, marketplaces and click-and-collect, fraud has become more distributed — and traditional rule-based engines are struggling to keep up…
The most significant shift is toward intelligent, adaptive fraud prevention platforms that combine identity, behavioural signals and network-level insight to make faster, more accurate decisions.
Beyond static rules
Rules still have a place, but fraud patterns evolve too quickly for manual rule tuning to be the primary defence. Leading omnichannel retailers are increasingly adopting AI-driven risk models that learn from real-time behaviour and adjust decisions dynamically.
This approach is particularly valuable in omnichannel environments, where fraud can emerge through non-payment touchpoints: account takeover, store returns, loyalty abuse or click-and-collect manipulation.
Unified risk across channels
Best practice is a single fraud intelligence layer across online and in-store activity. The strongest platforms consolidate signals from account creation, login, device behaviour, transaction history, fulfilment choices and returns activity into a unified customer risk profile.
This reduces inconsistent decisions: for example, approving an online order while missing suspicious return behaviour in-store, and enables more strategic prevention.
Network intelligence and shared learning
Another major evolution is the rise of network-based fraud intelligence. Fraud platforms increasingly draw on shared patterns across multiple merchants, identifying emerging attack vectors faster than any retailer could alone.
For omnichannel brands facing organised fraud groups, this collective insight improves detection while reducing false positives.
Smarter decisions, lower friction
Perhaps most importantly, intelligent platforms enable risk-based step-up, challenging only when risk increases. Trusted customers experience smoother journeys, while high-risk behaviour triggers stronger verification.
Fraud prevention success is measured not just in blocked attacks, but in improved approval rates and customer trust.
Omnichannel retail fraud is too complex for manual rules alone. The future is adaptive intelligence: integrated, contextual and built for scale.
Are you searching for Fraud Prevention solutions for your organisation? The Fraud Prevention Summit can help!
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