What is an account takeover?
An account takeover (ATO) occurs when fraudsters gain unauthorized access to a customer’s account – often through stolen credentials from phishing and smishing scams, malware, data breaches, keyloggers or the dark web. Once inside, they can make unauthorized transactions, change account details, instantly transfer funds or lock out the rightful owner. Modern ATO attacks on instant payment systems often use automated bots, credential-stuffing tools, SIM swapping and social engineering to bypass weak security measures, making detection difficult before the money’s gone.
