When an email is sent from a fraudulent IP address, it can cause the sender to be blacklisted by major ISPs. This reduces the chances of emails reaching their recipients and may result in customers’ emails being marked as spam or deleted. IP reputation is important for both transactional and marketing emails. In addition, email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help establish trust in the sending domain, minimizing the risk of spoofing and phishing attacks.
While fraudsters use residential virtual private networks (VPN) IP address fraud score and cloud infrastructure to mass-create anonymized IP addresses in a short period of time, they are also using sophisticated devices that mimic authentic human behavior to evade detection. These tactics diminish the effectiveness of traditional IP reputation services, which rely on historical data to assess an individual’s risk and determine whether they should be added to a blacklist.
Fraud score is an aggregation of multiple risk factors, including the likelihood that an IP address has engaged in automated bot activity and its previous association with malicious behavior. It also takes into account the connection type (residential vs corporate, etc.) and the geographical coordinates of the IP address.
The more points an IP has, the higher its risk. This information can then be used to make decisions about whether or not to allow that IP access to the system or not. An additional factor to consider is whether or not the IP has been involved in a recent phishing attack or DDoS attempt.
As a result of these various risk factors, the fraud score can vary between 0 and 100. A high score suggests that an IP address has a high level of risk and is more likely to be involved in fraudulent activities.
To see an IP’s fraud score, log into the admin dashboard and select Orders > Process Orders. Click the three-dot actions menu icon and select Customize Columns to change the display of columns. Make sure to check the box next to Fraud Score and then click Apply.
While a high fraud score does indicate that the email may be suspicious, it is important to remember that it is based on many different signals and may not be accurate in all cases. The best way to mitigate the risks associated with an IP address is by implementing email authentication protocols, such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and PTR records. This will prevent spoofing and phishing attempts, and it will also make the job of ISPs much easier, so they can focus on detecting and blocking genuine threats. To learn more about improving your IP reputation, get in touch with an ESP that is a trusted partner and provides a holistic solution for protecting your entire ecosystem from fraud.