- 1Funders handling under 100 applications a month report 11.8% fraud, against 5.6% for larger funders.
- 290% cite document falsification or forgery as the most pressing issue; 88% still review manually.
- 3Thumbprint reviewed over 10M statements in a year and found more than 500,000 altered documents.
A new survey from MoneyThumb finds that fraud is concentrated at smaller funders. Funders processing fewer than 100 financial applications a month report fraud in 11.8% of applications, more than double the 5.6% reported by larger funders. The study was released September 16, 2025, in partnership with a small business finance trade publication.
Survey findings
The poll covered MCA providers, funders and alternative lenders, from firms handling fewer than 10 applications a month to institutions with more than 500. Results include:
- Nearly 54% of respondents say 2-10% of applications contain fraud.
- Nearly 60% are "very concerned" about fraud.
- 90% cite document falsification or forgery as the top issue.
- More than half say fraud has increased year over year.
- 88% of funders still review documents manually.
MoneyThumb argues that manual review wastes hours, invites error and raises labor costs, and that most fraud cannot be seen by eye.
Economic pressure
The company links the findings to supply chain strain, shifting tariffs and a volatile outlook, saying tight margins raise the incentive to falsify documents or attempt synthetic identity fraud. It says the hidden cost ultimately raises loan prices for honest borrowers, and cites losses of up to seven percent of revenue, billions of dollars and thousands of hours each year across the lending industry.
Company comments
"Fraud is evolving just as quickly as the economy is shifting," said Ryan Campbell, CEO of MoneyThumb. Sean Murray, a survey partner, said funders that embrace intelligent automation will cut losses and serve more businesses, faster.
MoneyThumb says its patented Thumbprint tool reviewed more than 10 million statements in the last year and identified over 500,000 fraudulent or altered documents. More at MoneyThumb.
Source reporting: deBanked.
