Did you know fake accounts cost businesses $6.2 billion last year?  (Source: Javelin Identity Theft Report) Fraudsters are operating at an entirely new level, and fake accounts have become their weapon of choice. As we move into 2026, stopping them isn’t just about protecting the business; it’s about safeguarding genuine customers from being targeted or scammed on your platform. But how do you know which users are genuine, which ones are bad, or which seemingly “good” users are most likely to turn malicious later? That brings us to the real challenge: Can businesses identify fake accounts at signup and prevent them from being created in the first place? The answer is simple — YES, we can.

Why fake accounts slip through traditional defenses? 

Many believe the rise in fake accounts stems from companies adopting one-step registrations with basic fields like name and email. The thinking is simple: keep onboarding frictionless and protect conversion rates.

And while that sounds logical, it’s not the real problem.

Traditional defenses fail because today’s fraudsters operate with advanced tools, automated scripts, and device-masking techniques that easily bypass surface-level checks. 

They’ve evolved; and businesses need to evolve too. There’s a far better way to tackle this.

The first step to tackle is understanding the early signs of fake accounts before they slip into your platform.

Signs to Spot Fake Accounts on Digital Platforms:

Spotting fake accounts early isn’t guesswork, fraudsters leave behind clear patterns. Here are some of the most common signs that indicate suspicious signup activity on digital platforms:

• High volume of signup activities within a short timeframe

• Signups using disposable or temporary email domains

• A large number of unverified accounts or accounts with inconsistent profile details

• Use of similar or pattern-based usernames across accounts

• Abnormal device configurations or presence of risky apps (like app cloners, auto-clickers, etc.)

Individually, these signals may seem harmless, but together they reveal coordinated fraud activity. The key is to detect these patterns at the device level, before fake accounts ever make it into your platform.

How to block fraudsters at SignUp (on digital platforms)

The best way to block fraudsters at signup is to adopt a device-first approach.

What is a device-first approach for detecting fake accounts?
It starts by assigning a persistent, unique Device ID to every device that accesses your platform, built from stable device characteristics that fraudsters can’t easily reset, spoof, or mask. When you can reliably identify the device behind every signup attempt, you immediately gain visibility into patterns that traditional checks miss.

Once Device IDs are in place, here are some of the signs that help you identify high-risk devices and fraudulent signup attempts:

• Detect multiple signups originating from the same device or IP address

• Identify mismatched device attributes (OS version, browser type, location)

• Flag unusually fast form submissions indicating automation or bot activity

• Monitor for suspicious referral links or promo code abuse patterns

• Check for repeated use of the same payment instruments or Device IDs

After identifying these signals, the next steps are simple:

• Auto-block temporary or risky devices before the account is created

• Trigger an automated alert to your risk team so they can take immediate action

With the right signals and a device-first foundation in place, all you need is a purpose-built solution that can automate this entire process at scale

And that’s exactly what SHIELD delivers.

The Best Tool to Block Fraudsters at Sign Up - SHIELD

We at SHIELD have created a world class device fingerprinting fraud first solution that identifies fake accounts on digital platforms with over 99.99% accuracy. The SHIELD device ID eliminates fake accounts at the root by uniquely identifying every physical device on the platform

And we’re not just saying this works. Global platforms at massive scale already use SHIELD to eliminate fake accounts with industry-leading accuracy. One of the best examples is KGeN, which achieved a 99.8% reduction in fake accounts after integrating SHIELD.

👉 Read the full case study to see how SHIELD helps high-growth platforms stay fraud-free.

Conclusion

Fake accounts may slip in quietly, but they leave loud consequences. Keep your signup checks smart with device-first fraud detection, and you’ll block fraudsters at signup before they ever get in.