Clay, a fast-growing startup that helps teams scale personalized outbound workflows, was facing significant challenges with fake accounts. These fake accounts were inflating their free trial sign-ups, distorting conversion metrics, and increasing operational costs.

With a rapidly growing user base, driven by a successful referral program and viral marketing, Clay saw a surge in daily trial sign-ups. However, a significant portion of these sign-ups were found to be fake, created by bots or duplicate users exploiting the system for free data credits. This not only inflated costs but also created significant operational inefficiencies.

The main issues included:

• Conversion confusion: Inability to accurately discern real conversion rates.
• Direct costs: Increased contact data costs due to fake sign-ups.
• Intellectual property theft: Bots scraping data and stealing IP.
• Operational disruptions: Spam accounts overwhelming their systems and impacting email deliverability.

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To address these challenges, Clay implemented Verisoul’s comprehensive fraud prevention platform. Verisoul provided several key features tailored to Clay's needs:

• Device Fingerprinting: Identified and blocked spoofed device fingerprints.
• Account Linking: Automatically detected and linked duplicate accounts.
• Bot Detection: Prevented automated account creation without using CAPTCHAs.
• Email Intelligence: Validated email authenticity to prevent sign-ups with fake emails.
• Proxy & VPN Detection: Ensured accurate user geolocation by detecting and blocking proxy and VPN usage.
• Real-Time Decision Making: Provided automated decisions on account authenticity, reducing the need for manual reviews.

Implementation and Impact

Clay piloted Verisoul for two weeks, adjusting their sign-up and sign-in workflows to integrate real-time fraud detection. Verisoul’s system seamlessly verified if new users were human, unique, and trusted before granting access to free trials.

• Reduced Fake Accounts: Verisoul identified that 47% of Clay's sign-ups were fake or duplicate accounts, which were then blocked or redirected.
• Cost Savings: By eliminating fake sign-ups, Clay saved $175k in credit costs within a month.
• Revenue Growth: Real customers, who were previously exploiting free trials, converted to paid accounts, adding $150k in incremental ARR.
• Operational Efficiency: The automated system allowed Clay’s team to focus on growth rather than constantly combating fraud.

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