> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.1kosmos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.1kosmos.com/identity-verification/fraud-prevention/overview.md). # Overview *** Document and biometric verification confirm that a person holds a genuine identity document and matches it. Fraud prevention signals answer a different question: **does the surrounding context look legitimate?** These checks analyze the digital attributes a person presents during onboarding or authentication — their IP address, email address, and phone number — to estimate risk before, during, or alongside document verification. Because they run on data the user already provides, these checks are typically **passive and low-friction**: they add little or no extra effort for legitimate users while surfacing risk that a document scan alone cannot detect, such as synthetic identities, location spoofing, or account-takeover attempts. {% hint style="info" %} These are non-document checks. They complement — rather than replace — document and biometric verification, and are most effective when combined as part of a layered (defense-in-depth) approach. {% endhint %} ### How non-document signals fit into a verification journey Non-document signals are commonly used in three ways: * **Pre-checks** — Run early in a journey to filter out obvious fraud (for example, a disposable email or a datacenter IP) before spending time and cost on document capture. * **Risk scoring** — Combined into an overall risk assessment that informs an allow, deny, or manual-review decision. * **Step-up triggers** — When a signal looks risky, the journey can require additional verification (such as document capture or biometrics) instead of failing outright. ### The signals covered in this section [ IP Geolocation ](/identity-verification/fraud-prevention/ip-geolocation.md) [Email Intelligence ](/identity-verification/fraud-prevention/email-intelligence.md) [Phone Intelligence ](/identity-verification/fraud-prevention/phone-intelligence.md) ### Why a layered approach matters No single signal is conclusive on its own — a VoIP phone number or a VPN connection is not proof of fraud, and many legitimate users have both. The value comes from **correlation**: when several signals disagree with each other or with the identity being claimed (for example, an IP in one country, a phone number registered in another, and a recently created email with no history), confidence in the risk assessment rises. Layering these signals reduces both fraud losses and false rejections of genuine users. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.1kosmos.com/identity-verification/fraud-prevention/overview.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.