Rue Gilt Groupe plugs Riskified into Zendesk to curb fraud
Rue Gilt Groupe has integrated Riskified's identity intelligence into its customer service operation, bringing real-time risk scores into agent workflows.
The system is designed to help staff assess whether a claimant is a trusted customer or a repeat abuser when handling refund requests, package reroutes and other higher-risk service issues. The same approach is also expected to matter more as retailers deploy AI agents in frontline service roles.
The move reflects growing concern among online retailers that fraud through refunds, returns and customer service channels is becoming harder to manage as generative AI tools spread. Synthetic identities, voice spoofing, doctored images and social engineering are making abuse easier to scale even as merchants push for faster issue resolution.
Riskified places its identity risk scoring directly inside the customer relationship management tools and service consoles used by agents. At Rue Gilt Groupe, the information is delivered through Zendesk, giving staff an immediate view of risk signals tied to an email address, account, order, phone number, address or claim.
The identity engine behind the tool draws on more than 5 billion historical transactions from Riskified's merchant network. The company says 13% of identities with multiple claims show activity across more than one merchant, and those identities are linked to seven times more accounts on average than identities with no claims.
That pattern suggests a relatively small group of repeat offenders can account for a disproportionate share of losses. Riskified also cited data from its Policy Protect product showing that merchants using the tool have reduced complaint rates by up to 30% and, in some cases, cut refund and return costs by seven figures.
One example involved Ring, where Riskified said its analysis found 600 individuals were responsible for more than USD $4 million in abuse each year. Some of those individuals were committing as much as USD $150,000 annually, it said.
Rue Gilt Groupe, which operates the Rue La La and Gilt brands, says it serves more than 35 million members. The retailer focuses on off-price eCommerce in premium and luxury segments, where customer service speed and member retention are closely tied to commercial performance.
Retailers have long had to balance quick service with fraud controls, but the latest wave of automation has sharpened that trade-off. Customer service teams are under pressure to resolve complaints quickly, while many lack enough context during live interactions to judge whether a request is legitimate.
By inserting identity scoring at the point of service, the companies aim to shift risk decisions closer to the interaction itself rather than relying only on fixed rules or post-event review. The goal is to let low-risk customers move through service processes with less friction while escalating suspicious cases for closer scrutiny.
The move also reflects a broader shift in eCommerce operations, as fraud controls extend beyond checkout into returns, refunds and contact-centre activity. As merchants automate more of those processes, they face the challenge of stopping abuse without slowing genuine customers or generating false positives.
"When you know exactly who you're dealing with, you no longer have to choose between protecting the business and delighting the customer. Riskified's identity intelligence improves our ability to do both," said Maria Vargas, SVP of Member Experiences at Rue Gilt Groupe. "By bringing Riskified's risk and identity insights directly into our Zendesk service console, we are giving our frontline teams the confidence to fast-track our most valuable members for instant resolution, while applying the necessary friction to deter serial abusers who hide behind fake or stolen accounts."
Riskified is listed in New York and sells fraud and risk tools to online merchants. Its broader product set includes chargeback protection and tools aimed at policy abuse, an area that has become more prominent as retailers report higher losses from disputed refunds, false non-delivery claims and return manipulation.
AI Pressure
Real-time identity assessment is likely to become more important as businesses deploy AI agents in customer service. In that model, automated systems may be expected to make or support decisions instantly, increasing the need for tools that can identify coordinated abuse and reduce the risk of bad actors exploiting scripted responses.
"The future of retail hinges on delivering fast, exceptional experiences to loyal customers while protecting against increasingly sophisticated abuse," said Jeff Otto, Chief Marketing Officer at Riskified. "Our partnership with Rue Gilt Groupe represents the next evolution of CX. With risk-aware identity intelligence, service teams, both human and AI, can instantly reward trusted customers and accelerate resolution, while stopping bad actors. Every interaction is powered by network-scale intelligence to maximise lifetime value and prevent leakage."