Risk Investigator – Third Party/ATO Fraud

Mercury

Fraud Investigator for Mercury's Account Fraud team, investigating Account Takeover and third-party fraud incidents. Leading investigations, coordinating responses, and mentoring teammates for enhanced security and customer experience.

Posted 7/22/2026full-timeCalifornia, New York, Oregon • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $121,700 - $152,100 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading investigations into account takeover incidents, employing strong judgment and communication skills to manage high-impact cases while collaborating with cross-functional teams. Focuses on improving operational workflows and customer security through effective tooling and process enhancements.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Account Takeover InvestigationFraud Detection SystemsCustomer CommunicationOperational Efficiency ImprovementCross-Functional Collaboration

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Account Recovery ProcessesAuthentication SystemsIdentity VerificationFraud TypologiesInvestigative DocumentationAutomation of Investigative TasksRisk AssessmentJudgment in Decision-MakingMentoring and TrainingComplex Problem Solving

Soft Skills

EmpathyProfessionalismAttention to DetailOrganizational SkillsInfluencing Skills

Industry Keywords

Account TakeoverFinancial ServicesBankingFintechPaymentsFraud Risk ManagementCustomer SecurityOperational WorkflowsInvestigative Best PracticesCustomer Support

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead complex investigations into suspected account takeover (ATO) incidents, exercising sound judgment to determine risk, containment, and recovery strategies
Own end-to-end response for high-impact and executive-visible ATO cases, serving as a primary coordinator across Fraud, Customer Support, Product, Engineering, Compliance, Legal, and Leadership
Communicate directly with customers during sensitive account security incidents, providing timely, empathetic guidance throughout the investigation and recovery process
Help develop and continuously improve ATO investigation policies, playbooks, and operational workflows to increase consistency, quality, and speed to response
Partner with Product, Engineering, and Risk teams to identify detection gaps and recommend improvements to authentication controls, fraud detection systems, and customer security features
Escalate emerging account takeover trends, attacker behaviors, and fraud vectors, working with leadership and partner teams to turn findings into actionable operational and product improvements
Provide subject matter expertise during critical incidents and help guide investigation strategy for the team's most complex and high-risk cases
Identify opportunities to automate repetitive investigative tasks and improve tooling, operational efficiency, and customer experience
Maintain clear, defensible investigative documentation that supports internal decision-making, regulatory requirements, and cross-functional collaboration
Mentor teammates by sharing investigative best practices, reviewing complex cases, and contributing to onboarding and training materials

Requirements

What you’ll need

3+ years of direct experience investigating and responding to account takeover (ATO) fraud incidents within a bank, fintech, payments company, or other financial services organization
Demonstrate deep expertise in account takeover methodologies, attacker tactics, authentication systems, identity verification, and account recovery processes
Have experience identifying common bank fraud typologies, such as wire fraud, ACH fraud, check fraud, mule accounts, and identity theft
Be comfortable leading complex, ambiguous investigations that require balancing customer experience, fraud risk, and operational efficiency
Have exceptional customer-facing communication skills and experience managing high-impact or executive-visible customer incidents with professionalism, empathy, and confidence
Exercise excellent judgment when making time-sensitive decisions that affect customer access, account security, and financial risk
Be skilled at influencing cross-functional partners and collaborating effectively with Product, Engineering, Compliance, Customer Support, and Leadership
Communicate complex investigative findings clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing, to audiences ranging from customers to senior leadership
Have a track record of identifying operational inefficiencies and driving meaningful improvements through better processes, tooling, or automation
Be highly organized and capable of managing multiple critical investigations while maintaining exceptional attention to detail
Enjoy mentoring teammates, raising the quality bar for investigations, and helping build a strong investigative culture
Have a strong product mindset and curiosity about evolving fraud threats, authentication technologies, and customer security
Be motivated by protecting customers and continuously improving Mercury's ability to detect, investigate, and respond to account takeover threats.

Benefits

Comp & perks

base salary
equity (stock options)