What Cifas does

Cifas is a UK-based nonprofit fraud prevention organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in London. It operates the National Fraud Database—the UK's primary fraud data-sharing platform—which recorded 242,000+ identity fraud cases in 2025 and processes the majority of all fraud reports in the UK. The organization serves two distinct customer segments: UK financial institutions (banks and financial services firms) that access the database through membership-based subscription arrangements for cross-institutional fraud detection, and UK consumers via the JustMe mobile app launched in November 2025.

Cifas's core technology includes AI-powered fraud detection systems and a real-time identity verification platform underlying the JustMe consumer app. The JustMe app, developed in partnership with Trend Micro, provides users with notifications when applications are submitted in their name and enables verification of suspicious content including texts, emails, and social media posts. Cifas also produces proprietary research on fraud trends, including insider-threat surveys on employee fraud (credential selling, moonlighting), which functions as both thought leadership and demand generation for the organization's services.

Cifas generates revenue primarily through membership and subscription fees from UK financial institutions for access to the National Fraud Database, supplemented by the freemium JustMe consumer app. The organization is non-equity-financed, operates without public financial reporting, and holds no disclosed patents or certifications. Its competitive position is anchored by its unique, non-replicable data asset and its embedded role in UK fraud-prevention infrastructure, with the City of London Corporation's Digital Verification Orchestrator initiative referencing Cifas data as a potential backbone for national digital identity systems.

Name

Cifas

Legal name

Cifas

Website

https://cifas.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cifas is a UK-based nonprofit founded in 1988 that operates the National Fraud Database for cross-institutional fraud data sharing among UK financial institutions, and launched the JustMe consumer identity-protection app in November 2025 via a partnership with Trend Micro.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fraud Prevention Services

NAICS

Credit Bureaus (561450), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Risk Management & Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption (ABAC) (BPAHAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA), Payments Fraud & Chargeback Prevention (HDADALAE)

Keywords

• Fraud prevention services
• Identity verification
• Fraud data sharing
• Scam protection
• Insider threat monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industry Data Sharing Services: Cifas operates as a fraud prevention membership organization providing data sharing services to UK financial institutions. Banks and financial services companies contribute to and access the National Fraud Database to detect and prevent fraud.
2. Consumer Mobile Application: JustMe mobile app provides real-time identity verification and scam alerts to UK consumers, representing a direct-to-consumer revenue stream through app distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cifas operates the National Fraud Database, a data-sharing platform that records and shares fraud cases across UK financial institutions for fraud detection and prevention. The organization also offers the JustMe mobile app, developed in partnership with Trend Micro, which provides real-time identity verification and scam protection for UK consumers. Cifas additionally publishes research on insider threats and employee fraud to support its fraud prevention mission.

Product overview

Cifas operates primarily as a fraud prevention organization offering the JustMe mobile app, developed in partnership with Trend Micro. JustMe provides consumers with real-time identity verification and scam alerts. Based on the available sources, JustMe is the primary consumer-facing product offered by Cifas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JustMe: A mobile app launched in partnership with Trend Micro, offering real-time identity verification and scam alerts for UK consumers, including notifications for applications submitted in the user's name and verification of suspicious content such as texts, emails, and social media posts.

Products and services

• National Fraud Database UK's primary fraud data-sharing platform that records, tracks, and shares fraud cases across financial institutions. It enables banks and financial services companies to detect and prevent identity fraud, account takeover, and other fraud types through cross-institutional data sharing and pattern detection.
• JustMe Mobile App A mobile application developed through partnership with Trend Micro that provides real-time identity verification and scam protection for UK consumers, including alerts when applications are submitted in the user's name and ability to verify suspicious content such as texts, emails, and social media posts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recorded 242,000 identity fraud cases in 2025, accounting for over half of all fraud reports
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trend MicrocoreTechnology or Integration · 10 November 2025Cifas and Trend Micro announced a strategic partnership to develop and launch JustMe, a mobile app providing real-time identity verification and scam protection for UK consumers. The app notifies users of applications submitted in their name and allows verification of suspicious content including texts, emails, and social media posts. This partnership leverages Trend Micro's technology capabilities with Cifas's fraud intelligence expertise.
• City of London CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCifas data on identity fraud (242,000 cases in 2025) is referenced by the City of London Corporation's Digital Verification Orchestrator initiative, which aims to create a reusable identity system potentially saving £5 billion by reducing fraud and operational costs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TransUnion: Global credit reporting agency with UK presence offering fraud prevention and identity verification solutions. Direct competitor in the UK financial services fraud data and prevention market.
• Equifax: Major consumer credit bureau operating in the UK with fraud prevention and identity verification services. Competes with Cifas in the UK financial services fraud prevention market with comparable data-sharing and risk management capabilities.
• GBG: UK-headquartered identity verification and fraud prevention company serving financial institutions globally. Provides comparable identity fraud detection and consumer verification services to UK banks and businesses.
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions: Global data and analytics provider offering fraud detection, identity verification, and compliance solutions to financial institutions. Direct competitor in fraud data analytics serving UK and international banks.
• FICO: Leading analytics and credit scoring company providing fraud detection and financial crime prevention solutions. Comparable fraud scoring and detection technology used by financial institutions globally.
• Experian: Global credit bureau and consumer credit reporting agency with significant UK operations. Operates fraud prevention and identity verification products comparable to Cifas's National Fraud Database, serving similar UK banks and financial institutions.

Emerging players

• BioCatch: Behavioral biometrics company specializing in fraud detection and account takeover prevention. Provides AI-driven fraud prevention technology complementary to Cifas's database approach, serving UK and global financial institutions.
• Feedzai: AI-native financial crime and fraud detection platform serving banks and payment providers. Competes with Cifas in real-time fraud prevention with a technology-forward approach targeting financial institutions globally.

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard (Identity and Fraud): Global payments network with fraud prevention and identity verification services (e.g., Mastercard Identity Check, Decision Intelligence). Competes broadly in payments fraud prevention across UK financial institutions.
• Visa (Risk and Identity Solutions): Global payments network offering fraud prevention and risk management (Visa Risk Manager, Visa Advanced Authorization). Provides payments fraud prevention to UK banks as part of broader card services portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CifasUk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cifas