Ring, ring. Fraudsters Are Calling Your Call Centers and Stealing Money

Call center fraud happens when a fraudster impersonates a real policyholder over the phone to make changes the policyholder never approved, like redirecting a payout or updating a beneficiary. The account and its history are real; only the caller is not.

Login pages are now protected by 2FA, device checks, and behavioral monitoring. Call centers were built around empathy and speed, not verification, so fraudsters exploit the same qualities that make good service good.

Not on its own. In 2025, 53% of fraudsters attempting account takeover passed KBA, because the “secret” details it relies on are already circulating in breached data.

OTPs help but aren’t sufficient alone. A code confirms someone has access to a phone, not that they’re the rightful policyholder.+

A request that doesn’t match the caller’s history, a device or carrier profile that doesn’t match the policyholder on file, and the same identity appearing in risk-flagged sessions at other carriers.

Call center fraud describes the entry point: the phone channel. Account takeover describes the outcome: unauthorized access. Most account takeovers in insurance now start with a phone call, not a login.