Table of contents
- The dark side of financing - what is leasing fraud?
- Evolution of fraud techniques in the leasing sector
- The critical role of cross-sector information exchange
- The fraudster's digital trail - device analysis
- Summary: the future of security in leasing
Poland's leasing sector has, for years now, been one of the mainstays of investment financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Rapid market growth, while grounds for optimism, also increases exposure to fraud risk. As processes are digitalised, not only methods of customer service but also the techniques used by criminals are evolving.
The dark side of financing - what is leasing fraud?
Leasing fraud is the crime of defrauding a leasing company of financing (money or the leased asset), most often through the use of fake documents or by misrepresentation, with the deliberate intention of failing to honour the contract. The aim of the fraudsters is to quickly gain access to goods (for example, a vehicle or machinery) and then, frequently, to sell them or stop meeting their repayment obligations.
Evolution of fraud techniques in the leasing sector
Although traditional methods continue to pose a problem, fraudsters are constantly refining them. Leasing companies currently face three primary fraud risk areas:
Document forgery and "straw men": these are classic methods based on the presentation of forged or falsified financial documents (such as inflated invoices or fictitious income statements) when concluding contracts. So-called "straw men" are also often used - individuals whose identities are used (knowingly or not) to obtain financing fraudulently.
Internal risk and collusion: a practice posing a particular threat is collaboration between a leasing company employee or intermediary and fraudsters. Such collusion may, for example, involve falsely confirming the existence or good technical condition of a non-existent or worn-out asset in site inspection or handover reports.
Fraud in remote channels: because leasing applications may be submitted online, criminals are increasingly using stolen identities, personal data or digital manipulation techniques to obtain financing remotely.
Scale of the threat: persistent fraud risk
The problem of fraud is not diminishing - it is evolving. According to the latest ZPF/EY report on fraud in the financial sector (2025), 67% of respondents in the leasing sector stated that the intensity of fraud has remained unchanged, while one in three (33%) observed an increase in its scale. The risk of the largest losses remains high, as the overvaluation of the leased asset continues to be identified as one of the most significant threats. This fraud scheme, even in a single instance, can generate losses exceeding PLN 100,000.
Faced with such diverse and growing risks, traditional verification procedures are becoming insufficient. There is therefore a pressing need to implement advanced, integrated, real-time tools capable of detecting fraudsters before they can cause harm.
The critical role of cross-sector information exchange
A fraudster whose financing application is rejected by one leasing company due to fake documents or suspicious data can almost immediately apply again with a competitor. Without mutual information sharing about detected fraud attempts, companies operate in an informational vacuum, exposing themselves to significant financial risk. This pattern of behaviour was, for years, one of the most serious challenges facing the entire financial sector.
Anti-fraud Platform - the key to inter-institutional security
The answer to this problem is the Anti-fraud Platform (PAF), which has revolutionised the sector's approach to security by introducing a mechanism for the exchange of information on confirmed cases of fraud and attempted fraud.
PAF creates a united security front, bringing together a variety of key financial institutions in a shared data exchange framework, including:
Banks,
Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions (SKOK),
Loan companies,
Leasing companies,
Factoring companies.
360° verification for key customers
For leasing companies, PAF is of particular importance because it enables the verification of both individual customers (for example, sole traders) and corporate clients.
How PAF protects the leasing sector in practice:
Identification of concealed liabilities: the Anti-fraud Platform facilitates the exchange of information on confirmed or suspected fraud between market participants. It enables data to be verified by cross-checking it against compromised data. In the event of a match, it alerts an anti-fraud analyst and triggers a more in-depth review of the specific case. During this analysis, indicators may be identified that point to elevated risk, such as concealed liabilities or links to indebted entities.
Detection of document forgery: PAF enables the flagging and exchange of information on fraud involving forged financial documents, overstated income or unreliable invoices relating to the financed asset.
Protection against collusion and "straw men": the system also records instances where data belonging to a credible company is used to fraudulently obtain financing for an overvalued asset, as well as cases involving the use of forged identity documents.
Thanks to PAF, the decision to conclude a contract is no longer based solely on information provided by the customer and the company's own experience, but instead becomes a process fully integrated with knowledge shared across the entire sector. However, in the era of digitisation, exchanging factual data alone is not sufficient; how the customer applies for financing also has to be analysed.
The fraudster's digital trail - device analysis
While the Anti-fraud Platform analyses the customer's identity in the context of their activity history across the sector, digital fraud requires immediate verification at the moment an application is submitted. The growing popularity of online leasing, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises, requires the application of advanced mechanisms that verify not only the data entered in the application, but also the applicant's digital footprint.
Cyber Fraud Detection Platform
The Cyber Fraud Detection (CFD) Platform is BIK's advanced tool for detecting fraud in remote channels. Its unique value lies in the fact that decisions are based on the analysis of the parameters of the device (Device ID) used by the customer, combined with transactional data.
The scale of CFD's operations is impressive; the platform processes over five million online applications per month and brings together 33 active clients*, including key institutions in the banking, loan and leasing sectors. This demonstrates that device analysis has become the standard for fraud risk management.
Suspicious patterns: how CFD unmasks fraudsters
CFD monitors behaviour and device parameters, searching for patterns typical of organised crime groups or individuals attempting to obtain financing fraudulently. The most commonly detected risk indicators are:
Duplication and identity misuse: patterns of repeated use are crucial to identifying "straw men" and identity fraudsters. CFD detects such instances and alerts analysts.
Behavioural anomalies: the system analyses how the user interacts with the online application. Alerts are triggered by behaviour such as applications being filled in too quickly (which may indicate automated data entry or copy-pasting) or by the timing of submission, which frequently forms part of a coordinated and suspicious pattern.
Concealment of digital identity: fraudsters attempt to mask their true location and origin using various anonymisation methods. Thanks to the CFD platform, analysts are able to detect such anomalies.
Key CFD functionalities and decision rules
CFD enables BIK customers to manage risk flexibly through advanced decision rules and the exchange of incident information.
Decision rules: the CFD platform enables the rapid implementation of rules operating on contextual device and transaction data.
Suspicious scenarios: the highest analytical value lies in scenarios based on combinations of rules. The system generates alerts when non-standard correlations occur, for example in relation to geolocation.
Extended sectoral exchange: alongside data on customer fraud, the platform actively supports sector-wide information sharing on security-related incidents, including elements used in digital and remote channels, thereby preventing criminals from reusing the same attack vector in other institutions.
Flexible risk management: CFD customers gain full control over risk management, enabling them to modify decision rules easily and tailor them to their company's specific needs.
By combining analysis of the digital footprint with fraud data from across the sector, BIK's tools enable the automatic rejection of clearly suspicious applications and the referral of complex cases for manual review, thereby effectively protecting leasing companies from incurring losses.
Summary: the future of security in leasing
Faced with the growing intensity of fraud and the digitisation of processes, the leasing sector must strategically refocus its protective measures. Traditional verification methods, though still important, are becoming insufficient, while individual losses generated by fraudsters necessitate a coordinated and technology-driven response.
Effective fraud prevention in leasing requires moving beyond purely paper-based verification and embracing two complementary pillars of modern protection:
Cross-sector information sharing (PAF): this provides knowledge of past fraud attempts and confirmed cases, creating a protective umbrella for the entire financial market.
Real-time device analysis (CFD): this offers insight into the customer's digital footprint, detecting suspicious patterns of behaviour, attempts to conceal identity, and identity duplication in remote channels.
The deployment of integrated platforms such as PAF and CFD gives leasing companies a strategic advantage. It enables them to minimise financial losses related to fraud while maintaining a fast and fully remote customer service process, which is essential in today's rapidly evolving market environment. Automating risk detection also allows analysts to focus exclusively on the most complex and non-obvious cases.
Thanks to the strategic integration of the Anti-fraud Platform (PAF) and the Cyber Fraud Detection (CFD) platform, BIK is transforming the leasing sector into a unified front resilient to fraud, positioning itself as a guarantor of the financial market's digital stability.
*data as of 28 October 2025