Early Warning Services LLC, the organization responsible for the widely used Zelle payment network and the Paze digital wallet, has officially introduced Certos, a new unified branding effort that brings together its portfolio of fraud prevention and identity verification tools. The initiative aims to give U.S. banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions stronger defenses against increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics while simultaneously lowering barriers that prevent many consumers from opening accounts.
The launch comes at a time when fraudsters are relying more heavily on synthetic identities—entirely fabricated profiles—and stolen personal information to bypass traditional security checks before any funds even change hands.
According to Early Warning executives, Certos addresses this challenge head-on by providing real-time risk intelligence drawn from a vast, collaborative network of shared data contributed by participating banks under a secure “give-to-get” model.
Ben Chance, general manager of the new Certos unit, emphasized the proactive approach.
He noted that criminals are exploiting identity gaps earlier in the process, and the platform equips institutions to spot red flags during account opening, flag unusual activity sooner, and ultimately block fraudulent transactions more effectively.
For over 35 years, Early Warning Services has collaborated closely with financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve, and other partners to protect the banking system.
The company’s track record includes helping to prevent billions in potential losses from scams, counterfeit checks, and other financial crimes.
In 2025 alone, the solutions now grouped under Certos screened more than $11 trillion in payments, helped halt approximately $3.7 billion in attempted fraud, and supported roughly 100 million new bank and credit union account applications.
A key advantage of Certos is its ability to reduce unnecessary friction for applicants who may have limited or nontraditional credit and identity histories.
By delivering precise risk insights without overly restrictive rules, the platform allows institutions to approve legitimate customers more confidently while still maintaining robust safeguards.
This balance is expected to expand financial inclusion without compromising security.
Andrea Gilman, chief marketing officer at Early Warning Services, described Certos as the next evolution of the company’s long-standing expertise. “It consolidates decades of proven fraud-prevention technology under one recognizable brand,” she explained, adding that the tools integrate seamlessly into existing account-opening and payment workflows.
Institutions can therefore strengthen their defenses against evolving threats while continuing to serve a broader customer base.
Certos operates as Early Warning’s third major business line alongside Zelle and Paze, forming a comprehensive ecosystem that covers verification, payments, and protection.
Specific offerings include identity verification services that assess whether an applicant is genuine, risk scoring for new deposit accounts, real-time payment screening tools, and ongoing identity monitoring alerts.
By centralizing these capabilities under the Certos name—derived from the Latin root for “certainty”—Early Warning aims to provide clearer, more streamlined support to the roughly 2,500 banks and credit unions it already partners with.