True Link’s 24/7 AI Researcher Identifies Scammers Before They Can Charge the Customer’s Card – an Industry First

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--True Link today unveiled its Retina agent, a 24/7 AI researcher that connects the dots on scammy merchants before they have a chance to charge your card.

With over 3.8 million merchants screened and tens of thousands added every month, it is the only known database of its kind, already preventing more than a million high-risk transactions annually and saving customers an average of $1,700 per year.

The Retina agent works around the clock, drawing on aggregated consumer sentiment, verified expert data sources, corporate disclosures, and other sources. When a charge is attempted, True Link compares the Retina dossier against the individual user's settings – for example, an instruction to decline surprise repeat billers or vendors of impossible-to-return merchandise – and acts in real time to block the charge.

"My aunt was donating $10 to $30, hundreds of times, to fraudulent charities. With most banks, your only option is to cancel the card entirely when a scammer takes hold. The ability to have fraudulent charges denied automatically, without canceling and waiting for a new card to arrive, has been a godsend," said Rachel L., a True Link customer. Here are some more examples of the technology in action:

• A homeowner searches online for their refrigerator manual. For $2.99, a downloadable copy seems reasonable – until it surprise-bills as a $35.88 annual subscription. Having agreed to the terms and received the file, there's no basis for a credit card dispute. But Retina has seen this billing practice flagged in consumer forums and declines the charge before it posts, protecting the customer’s money.
• A consumer spots surprisingly cheap airline tickets and moves quickly to lock in the deal. Retina recognizes the seller, a travel agency with a poor BBB rating known for taking payment, then waiting to see if the actual tickets drop in price. If they do, the agency pockets the difference; if not, they issue a refund weeks later. Retina flags the charge and alerts the customer, who can decide whether to proceed and take the risk or look elsewhere.
• A teen learns on TikTok about an app that creates personalized hair and makeup styles. Though the app is new, Retina recognizes the developer behind it, the same team known for subscriptions that are nearly impossible to cancel, with no automated cancellation option and a support team that takes months to respond, if ever. The subscription is declined, giving the user a chance to find an app they can trust.
• Retina is equally adept at clearing merchants that might look suspicious on the surface. A machine parts wholesaler in Connecticut runs its card transactions as “digital goods,” a quirk of setting up an online billing tool quickly for the rare card payment – most of their customers pay by invoice. Where another system might decline the charge, Retina verifies the company's long-running history and approves the purchase.

Card networks and banks’ fraud systems aren't designed to block merchants that are deceptive but not technically fraudulent. Even then, new merchants can arise as quickly as the old ones get shut down. Retina is built to close that gap, targeting deceptive practices consumers want protection from but that traditional systems aren't built to see.

“Bank customers are demanding stronger, smarter fraud protections than ever before,” said Kara Brewer, Chief Strategy Officer at True Link. “The regulatory environment is certain to catch up. This technology directly addresses rising expectations by providing real‑time insights and proactive safeguards that past-generation systems simply can’t match.”

Agentic AI has become a powerful tool in the hands of scammers, used to generate thousands of personalized scam emails, start text message conversations using fake personas, and mine social media for personal details that make an opening pitch more convincing. Now, Retina deploys that same agentic AI in defense of the customer.

"By the time a scammer tries to charge your card, Retina already knows who they are, what they've done, and what they're likely to do next," said Kai Stinchcombe, True Link's CEO and founder. "These merchants hiding in the shadows are not anonymous anymore — at least not to us."

About True Link:

True Link powers leading family banking experiences. With over a decade of proven impact and an 80+ NPS, the company’s platform is purpose-built to support older adults, teens, people with disabilities, individuals in recovery, and others who rely on trusted support to manage their finances. True Link helps banks, credit unions, nonprofits, government programs, and other partners offer customizable spending settings, caregiver-managed account features, and fraud prevention tools that help protect loved ones while preserving their dignity and independence.

Learn more at www.truelinkfinancial.com/banks.