Senior Fraud Prevention Analyst

About impact.com impact.com is the world’s leading commerce partnership marketing platform, transforming the way businesses grow by enabling them to discover, manage, and scale partnerships across the entire customer journey. From affiliates and influencers to content publishers, brand ambassadors, and customer advocates, impact.com empowers brands to drive trusted, performance-based growth through authentic relationships. Its award-winning products—Performance (affiliate), Creator (influencer), and Advocate (customer referral)—unify every type of partner into one integrated platform. As consumers increasingly rely on recommendations from people and communities they trust, impact.com helps brands show up where it matters most. Today, over 5,000 global brands, including Walmart, Uber, Shopify, Lenovo, L’Oréal, and Fanatics, rely on impact.com to power more than 225,000 partnerships that deliver measurable business results. Your Role at impact.com: The Senior Fraud Prevention Analyst (SFPA) is responsible for leading advanced fraud detection and prevention efforts, providing analytical insights, and contributing to strategic risk mitigation initiatives across impact.com platforms. In this capacity, the SFPA leads deep-dive investigations in any/all publisher fraud related matters such as: web traffic quality, last-click attribution manipulation, digital tracking mechanics, and digital media compliance across impact.com platform campaigns. Additionally, they apply advanced technical knowledge of HTTP protocols, browser extension behaviors, paid search advertising mechanics, and multi-hop redirect chains to identify and neutralize sophisticated fraud schemes. This role will also proactively identify new forms of fraud that may take place and help design/implement tooling and process to address. As a senior member of the Fraud and Compliance team, the SFPA conducts complex investigations, mentors less experienced team members, and serves as a key liaison between Fraud Prevention Analysts, upper management, and other senior team members across the business. This role requires deep expertise in fraud prevention, data analysis, and risk management, along with strong leadership and communication skills. The SFPA works closely with the Associate Manager Fraud Prevention, and cross-functional teams to develop, refine, and implement fraud detection strategies, ensuring platform integrity and supporting the company’s broader risk management goals. What You'll Do: Advanced Fraud Detection & Investigation: • Lead fraud detection efforts by analyzing large data sets, monitoring transactions, partner activities, and traffic patterns to identify potential fraud. • Conduct and oversee complex fraud investigations, ensuring timely escalation of high-risk cases to senior management. • Analyze patterns and emerging fraud risks, developing insights and recommendations to improve fraud detection systems and strategies. • Provide expert input on improving fraud prevention protocols and contributing to strategic risk mitigation initiatives. Risk Assessment & Compliance: • Conduct thorough due diligence on high-risk publishers and partners, ensuring compliance with fraud prevention and regulatory standards before approvals. • Collaborate with Compliance, Risk, and Legal teams to address fraud-related issues and ensure fraud detection efforts align with compliance requirements. • Manage and update fraud prevention documentation, ensuring accurate and comprehensive records are maintained for audits and compliance reporting. Traffic, Tracking & Attribution Forensics: • Attribution & Cookie Audit: Investigate complex attribution hijacking schemes (including client-side cookie stuffing, forced script executions, and shared cookie IDs across distinct transactions/users within short timeframes). • Cross-System Click-Path Reconciliation: Audit and reconcile Impact platform tracking tokens (irclickid, Profile IDs) and click paths against merchant/advertiser backend logs (e.g., Shopify click paths, Google Analytics) to verify true user referral touchpoints. • Click Spamming & Replay Detection: Analyze raw click distributions, CTR/CVR anomalies, and token-replay rings (e.g., single click tokens reused across hundreds of conversions or high-volume click spamming with 0% conversion rate). Paid Search (SEM), Ad Hijacking & Brand Protection: • SEM & Brand Bidding Investigations: Perform technical forensic analysis on paid search ads (Google/Bing Ads) to identify unauthorized trademark bidding, direct-to-merchant affiliate parameter injection, and URL masking. • Tracking Parameter & UTM Forensics: Parse and reverse-engineer complex tracking URLs containing nested parameters (utm_source, gclid, gbraid, afsrc, cid) to trace destination links back to underlying sub-affiliates or bad actors. Redirect & Link Manipulation Auditing: • Dynamic Smart Redirect Analysis: Identify and evaluate third-party dynamic redirect tools and sub-network multi-hop chains designed to strip HTTP referrers, bypass platform controls, or artificially inflate attribution. • Masked & Deceptive Traffic Sources: Inspect shortened/masked URLs (rebrand.ly) and social media traffic sources (Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, WeChat) to detect deceptive promotional methods and forced trial conversions. Browser Extensions & Visual Compliance: • Browser Extension & Stand Down Auditing: Test and evaluate coupon/cashback browser extensions against Stand Down policies using screen recordings and network traffic inspections. • Parameter Suppression & Injection Monitoring: Detect extensions or toolbars that suppress original affiliate parameters (afsrc=1) or inject unauthorized cookies/pop-ups during cart checkout flows to steal last-click attribution credit. Team Mentorship & Operational Support: • Serve as a mentor and point of escalation for Fraud Prevention Analysts and Interns, offering guidance on fraud cases and helping resolve more complex issues. • Collaborate with the Associate Manager Fraud Prevention, on resource allocation, workload planning, and ensuring effective team operations. • Support the training and onboarding of new team members, providing expertise in fraud detection tools, processes, and best practices. • Assist in reviewing and refining fraud detection tools, offering feedback to improve system accuracy and operational efficiency. Cross-functional Collaboration & Strategic Input: • Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Compliance, Technology, and Legal, to resolve fraud-related issues and optimize fraud prevention tools. • Provide input and insights to improve fraud detection algorithms and strategies, collaborating with technical teams to enhance fraud defense mechanisms. • Participate in special projects, investigations, and compliance audits, contributing to company-wide risk management efforts. Reporting & Analysis: • Track key metrics related to fraud detection and prevention, analyzing performance data to suggest process improvements and ensure continued platform security. What You Bring: Core Competencies and Required Skills: • Expert Fraud Detection Skills: Extensive experience in detecting and analyzing fraud, with an ability to identify complex patterns and emerging risks across digital platforms. • Deep Knowledge of Tracking & Attribution Mechanics: Expert understanding of digital tracking infrastructure, including first/third-party cookies, DOM execution scripts, server-to-server (S2S) postbacks, HTTP headers, referral URLs, and last-click vs. multi-touch attribution models. • Traffic & SEM Forensics: Hands-on experience analyzing web traffic logs, paid search auction mechanics, Google/Bing ad copy, UTM parameter structures, and mobile/desktop redirect chains. • Technical Investigation & Protocol Analysis: Ability to inspect browser network logs (Chrome DevTools), analyze URL parameters, evaluate extension behavior, and leverage proxy/IP reputation and VPN/fingerprinting tools. • Analytical Thinking & Data Analysis: Strong ability to work with large data sets, detect anomalies, and apply analytical techniques to mitigate fraud. • Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to guide, mentor, and support junior team members in conducting fraud investigations and managing tasks. • Communication & Diplomacy: Skilled in articulating fraud findings to internal teams and external parties, balancing firmness and tact in sensitive communications with suspected fraudsters. • Problem-Solving & Initiative: Proactive approach to identifying vulnerabilities and developing creative solutions to address fraud risks. • Collaboration & Teamwork: Works effectively with cross-functional teams to address fraud-related issues and contribute to broader fraud prevention initiatives. • Time Management & Multi-tasking: Strong ability to manage multiple investigations and projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Education and Experience: • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Finance, Business, Law, Technology) or equivalent work experience may be advantageous. • 3+ years of hands-on experience in affiliate marketing compliance, ad fraud prevention, performance marketing traffic quality auditing, or technical risk operations. • Technical Tooling Proficiency: Demonstrated familiarity with web analytics, click-path analysis tools, browser testing suites, and dynamic link debuggers. • Strong experience with data analysis platforms, and compliance-related systems. • Familiarity with industry compliance standards and regulations is highly preferred. Benefits and Perks: At impact.com, we believe that when you’re happy and fulfilled, you do your best work. That’s why we’ve built a benefits package that supports your well-being, growth, and work-life balance. • Flexible Working: Our Responsible PTO policy means you can take the time off you need to rest and recharge. We're committed to a positive work-life balance and provide a flexible environment that allows you to be happy and fulfilled in both your career and your personal life. • Health and Wellness: Your well-being is a priority. Our mental health and wellness benefit includes up to 12 fully covered therapy/coaching sessions per year, with additional dependent coverage. We also offer a monthly gym reimbursement policy to support your physical health. • A Stake in Our Growth: We offer Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) as part of our total compensation, giving you a stake in the company's growth with a 3-year vesting schedule, pending Board approval. • Investing in Your Growth: We’re committed to your continuous learning. Take advantage of our free Coursera subscription and our PXA courses. • Parental Support: We offer a generous parental leave policy, 26 weeks of fully paid leave for the primary caregiver and 13 weeks fully paid leave for the secondary caregiver. • Technology Financial Support: We provide a technology stipend to help you set up your home office and a monthly allowance to cover your internet expenses impact.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All employees and applicants for employment shall be given fair treatment and equal employment opportunity regardless of their race, ethnicity or ancestry, color or caste, religion or belief, age, sex (including gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy/maternity), national origin, weight, neurodivergence, disability, marital and civil partnership status, caregiving status, veteran status, genetic information, political affiliation, or other prohibited non-merit factors.