Fraud Prevention

Utilities Employees Credit Union builds a proactive fraud strategy with Abrigo Fraud Detection

Asset size

$1.6 billion

Product

Abrigo Fraud Detection

Financial institution type

Credit union

Utilities Employees Credit Union (UECU), a virtual credit union serving utility workers across all 50 states, faced a growing challenge familiar to many financial institutions: how to proactively combat increasingly sophisticated fraud with limited resources.

Using Abrigo’s Fraud Detection solution, the credit union improved:

Operational efficiency
Collaboration between AML and fraud teams
Detection of fraud before losses occured

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The challenge: Building a proactive fraud prevention program

As a largely virtual institution with members across the country, Utilities Employees Credit Union has fewer in-person interactions than traditional financial institutions and a broader risk profile. Jennifer Poloski, Risk and Compliance Manager, oversees both fraud prevention and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance with a small team. While the credit union had invested in compliance technology, it historically lacked the data needed to fully understand the scope and nature of fraud occurring within the organization.

Like many institutions, UECU also faced internal challenges when advocating for investments in fraud technology. Demonstrating the value of proactive fraud prevention required showing leadership how investments today could help avoid significant losses tomorrow. The institution needed better visibility into fraud trends, stronger monitoring capabilities, and tools that could adapt to its unique risk profile as a nationwide, virtual credit union.

““When I came in, we weren’t quantifying fraud and we weren’t tracking it,” Poloski said. “You can’t build an effective fraud prevention program without understanding what fraud is occurring and what controls you have in place to prevent it.”

Jennifer Poloski, Risk and Compliance Manager, UECU

The solution: From fraud visibility to real-time detection

UECU began its fraud modernization journey by implementing Abrigo’s BAM+ platform, giving the institution a centralized way to monitor fraud activity, track losses, and evaluate the effectiveness of fraud controls. The platform provided critical insight into previously unmeasured fraud patterns, enabling the team to shift from a reactive to a more proactive fraud strategy.

The result: Stronger fraud prevention and operational confidence

Even before completing its Abrigo Fraud Detection implementation, UECU has already gained visibility into fraud activity and strengthened its controls. They now measure success based on fraud prevented rather than fraud losses incurred.

UECU’s fraud prevention efforts currently target 90% year-over-year fraud prevention, a goal the organization recently exceeded through a combination of technology, monitoring, and layered controls. Abrigo’s monitoring tools have also helped uncover activity extending beyond traditional fraud losses. In one notable case, an alert identified unauthorized ACH activity that ultimately led to a suspicious activity report (SAR) and contributed to a broader criminal investigation.

As Abrigo Fraud Detection comes online, UECU expects to strengthen its ability to identify suspicious activity in real time, reduce losses, and adapt to evolving fraud threats.