New Technology and Expanded Expert Oversight Help Retailers Stay Ahead of AI-Driven Abuse
NEW YORK , NY, UNITED STATES, February 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As retailers and manufacturers prepare for increasingly ambitious sales promotions in 2026, the nature of promotion fraud is evolving just as quickly. Artificial intelligence is now being used to automate claims, fabricate identities, and exploit promotional rules at a speed and scale that traditional systems were never designed to handle.
In response, Opia, a global sales promotions agency that designs, manages, and protects complex incentive programs, has expanded its fraud protection capabilities, introducing a more advanced, intelligence-led approach designed specifically for today’s AI-driven risk environment. The enhanced solution combines real-time technology with expanded human expertise to help brands protect high-value promotions without slowing legitimate customer participation.
Sales promotions, including rebates, cashbacks, trade-ins, and incentive rewards, remain a powerful growth driver for consumer brands. But the same digital convenience that fuels participation also creates new exposure. Short-duration, high-volume promotions are particularly vulnerable, as large surges in activity can mask automated abuse and synthetic identities.
“AI has fundamentally changed how promotion fraud operates,” said Sara Lomax, Head of Fraud & Operational Risk at Opia. “What used to require coordinated teams and significant effort can now be executed by a single actor using automation. Our enhanced platform is designed to meet that reality head-on, detecting risk as it happens, not after rewards are issued.”
Opia’s expanded fraud protection program layers multiple defenses to stop abuse early in the promotion lifecycle. Automated attacks are blocked using firewalls, CAPTCHA, OTP verification, and proxy and VPN detection. At the same time, device-level, behavioral, and digital-identity signals are continuously analyzed to identify automation, synthetic users, and abnormal claim patterns that may appear legitimate on the surface.
Suspicious activity is flagged in real time, allowing claims to be isolated and fulfillment delayed while risk is assessed. To complement these technical controls, Opia has a team of experienced fraud analysts, providing human oversight for complex or borderline cases where context and judgment matter most.
“These attacks often look like success, fast uptake, high engagement, strong participation,” Lomax added. “The fraud is hidden in the volume. Our approach is designed to protect performance, not suppress it.”
As AI-enabled tactics continue to evolve, Opia works closely with its clients to strengthen promotion design as well, standardizing terms, closing rule gaps, and aligning fraud prevention with overall promotional strategy.
“Promotions are still one of the most effective levers for growth,” Lomax said. “The difference in 2026 is that fraud prevention has to be built in from the start. With the right technology and expertise, brands don’t have to choose between scale and security.”
ABOUT OPIA;
Now in its 20th year of operation, Opia is a global sales promotions agency specializing in the design, execution, and protection of complex incentive programs for leading consumer brands. Through its dedicated fraud and operational risk division, Opia combines advanced analytics, behavioral intelligence, and AI-enhanced controls to safeguard promotions at scale. Visit Opia at https://www.opia.com/en-us.
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Open Door Consulting
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