Risk Investigator - Third Party/ATO Fraud

About the role

This position focuses on safeguarding our users by investigating potential account compromises and responding to significant security events. You will be a key point of contact for customers navigating stressful situations involving their accounts.

Key facts

Location: San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Portland, OR, or Remote within United States

Engagement: Full-time

Salary Range (US Employees in NYC, LA, Seattle, or SF Bay Area): $121,700 - $152,100

Salary Range (US Employees outside NYC, LA, Seattle, or SF Bay Area): $109,500 - $136,900

What you'll do

• Lead thorough investigations into suspected account takeover incidents, determining appropriate risk mitigation and recovery steps.
• Manage the entire response process for critical account takeover cases that may reach company leadership.
• Provide direct, empathetic communication and guidance to customers during account security investigations.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of investigation procedures and operational workflows.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Risk teams to identify and address security vulnerabilities.
• Report on emerging account takeover trends and attacker methods to drive improvements.
• Offer expert guidance on complex and high-risk investigations for the team.
• Identify opportunities to automate tasks and enhance investigative tools.
• Maintain detailed and accurate documentation for internal use and compliance.
• Share best practices and support the training of fellow investigators.

Requirements

• A minimum of 3 years of experience investigating account takeover fraud within a financial services, fintech, or payments organization.
• Proven understanding of account takeover tactics, authentication systems, identity verification, and account recovery.
• Familiarity with common fraud types such as wire fraud, ACH fraud, check fraud, mule accounts, and identity theft.
• Ability to manage complex, unclear investigations while balancing customer needs and risk.
• Strong customer communication skills, with experience handling sensitive incidents professionally.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound, time-sensitive decisions impacting customer accounts and financial risk.
• Skill in collaborating with Product, Engineering, Compliance, Customer Support, and Leadership.
• Capacity to clearly explain complex investigative findings to diverse audiences.
• A history of improving operational processes or tools.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple critical investigations with precision.
• A desire to mentor colleagues and contribute to a strong investigative culture.
• Curiosity about evolving fraud threats and security technologies.
• Motivation to protect customers and enhance Mercury's fraud response capabilities.

Nice to have

• Experience developing and implementing fraud investigation policies and playbooks.
• A proactive approach to identifying detection gaps and recommending system enhancements.
• Experience mentoring teammates and contributing to training materials.
• A strong product sense and interest in customer security.

Skills & tools

• Investigative Thinking
• Risk Assessment
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Customer Communication
• Documentation
• Process Improvement
• Fraud Typologies
• Authentication Systems
• Account Recovery Processes

Practical notes

• Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
• This role does not require travel.
• Compensation includes base salary, equity, and benefits.
• Mercury is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities.