A system for use in identifying synthetic identities associated with network requests, the system comprising:
- a memory including a data structure including known identity attributes associated with terminated merchants who have been terminated based on confirmed fraud, and known identity attributes associated with inquired merchants suspected of being fraudulent based on prior inquiries related to the identity attributes of the inquired merchants, wherein the identity attributes comprise possible synthetic identities associated with the terminated and inquired merchants, and wherein each synthetic identity comprises one or more real identity attributes and one or more fictitious or fabricated identity attributes;
- and
- an identity network computing device in communication with the memory, the identity network computing device configured to:
- receive a request from a computing device associated with a relying party to assess validity of an identity presented by an asserting party in a network communication between the asserting party and the relying party, the request including identity attributes of the identity of the asserting party, wherein the asserting party is a merchant;
- calculate an early detection score for the asserting party, using a first weighted decision matrix, based on occurrences of one or more of the identity attributes of the asserting party in a commonality diagram of the known identity attributes, which includes nodes representative of terminated and inquired merchants and links between the terminated and inquired merchants representing commonly used known identity attributes, wherein the weights of the first weighted decision matrix include relative values assigned to categories of commonly used prior identity attributes, wherein the identity network computing device is configured, in calculating the early detection score, to:
- add the identity attributes of the asserting party to the commonality diagram;
- determine a count of the links and categories of identity attributes in common between the asserting party and the terminated and inquired merchants;
- and
- calculate the early detection score based on the count and based on quantitative representations of the count calculated, using a weighted decision matrix;
- and
- calculate a profile score based on one or more prior transactions of the asserting party, wherein the profile score is based on a relation of the network communication to patterns of transaction data known to have resulted in fraud or loss, wherein the patterns may relate to a combination of transaction attributes;
- calculate, using a second weighted decision matrix, a collusion score based on a relationship of the asserting party and/or principal owners of the asserting party to other parties associated with known instances of fraud;
- calculate an assessment metric, which is representative of the validity of the identity of the asserting party, wherein the assessment metric is based at least in part on an aggregation of the early detection score, the profile score, and the collusion score;
- and
- transmit the assessment metric and the count to the relying party, whereby the relying party utilizes the assessment metric and the count to determine whether or not to further interact with the asserting party in connection with the network communication.