External Threat Protect enables organisations to combat external fraud and financial crime threats to their business and their people, using data, intelligence and learning. At its heart is the UK’s largest cross-sector database of first and third-party fraud risk, complemented by innovative tools and features that allow users to interrogate and investigate the data - data that is constantly analysed and interpreted to produce invaluable, up-to-date intelligence and cutting edge learning to keep industry informed and skills current.

The value of External Threat Protect

• Access to the National Fraud Database (NFD) - largest, most comprehensive database of fraud risk in the UK with over two million records.
• Innovative tools and features to analyse and interrogate the data, enabling a highly accurate view of the organisation's individual fraud risk level and more effective forecasting.
• Access to our Intelligence and Learning products, services and resources to prevent, detect and stop a vast range of external fraud and financial crime threats. 
• Ability to access Vision, a separately-purchased product that proactively monitors an organisation's customer base against the NFD for changes in risk, and issues alerts when they occur. 
• Unique ability to share information across the sectors. Over 50% of fraud risk cases recorded to the NFD originated in a different sector to the one they were filed by. 
• Tangible savings - each year, our members collectively prevent over £1billion in fraud losses. 

What problem does it solve?

Fraud is the dominant crime in the UK, representing 41% of all crime against individuals in the UK, and costing an estimated £190 billion every year.  First party fraud is when an individual attempts to commit or commits fraud against an organisation or person (such as false insurance claims), while third party fraud is when an individual is the victim of fraud (such as identity theft). 

ETP membership allows organisations to:

• better understand their level of fraud risk
• reveal existing or potential fraud targeting themselves and others
• take action to mitigate fraud losses
• protect customers and individuals from identity theft and its consequences   

Who is eligible for this product?

Any organisation who can share first or third party fraud risk data, from any sector. This is usually customer or client data, but can include other types of data. Organisations who cannot share first or third party fraud risk data may be eligible for other memberships such as Insider Threat Protect and Community membership. 

Some organisations, such as law enforcement, the General Register Office, and national government, supply data to support the fight against fraud (for example, stolen passport information, death registration data, and immigration data). They may also hold Cifas membership with us, or simply provide data as a partner. As a Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation, Cifas also supplies data back to law enforcement and relevant government bodies, such as the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.