Google, Entrust team on AI ID checks to fight UK fraud

Google Cloud and identity security provider Entrust have agreed a partnership focused on AI-based identity verification, fraud monitoring and analytics, as UK businesses report growing losses from identity fraud.

The announcement comes as identity attacks rise during digital onboarding. The companies pointed to a 40% year-on-year increase in "injection attacks" at onboarding, alongside wider use of deepfakes that can make fraudulent identity submissions more convincing.

Industry estimates put the annual cost of identity fraud in the UK at about £1.8 billion. Financial services and insurance firms are particularly exposed because of the volume of remote account opening and regulatory expectations around customer checks and ongoing monitoring.

Platform tie-up

The partnership will combine Entrust's identity verification products with Google Cloud's infrastructure and security services, drawing on Google's threat intelligence and incident response ecosystem.

The joint offering will also use Google's Gemini AI models. The companies said the aim is identity verification and security that can adapt as AI-generated fraud changes in quality and scale.

Entrust's tools are used to confirm identity during onboarding and account opening, and also cover monitoring for anomalous behaviour and other fraud signals. Google Cloud will provide the hosting and data layer, alongside security tooling many large organisations already use for detection and response.

Customers are expected to receive more detailed reporting on identity checks and fraud patterns, including real-time analytics and visibility into trends. The data is intended to inform operational responses as fraud attempts evolve.

Regulated sectors

Highly regulated industries are a central target market. Banks, lenders and insurers often have to balance verification checks with customer experience in digital channels, while meeting compliance obligations that demand consistent decisioning and audit trails.

AI-driven identity verification has become more contested as deepfakes and synthetic identities gain traction. Attackers increasingly use manipulated images, video and voice during onboarding, and some attempts focus on bypassing controls by injecting content into capture processes or application flows.

Organisations have responded by layering tools such as document verification, biometric matching, liveness checks, device intelligence and transaction monitoring. The partnership positions Entrust's identity verification platform alongside Google Cloud's infrastructure and security stack, aiming to bring these signals together for analysis and investigation.

David Engelbrecht, Head of Go-to-Market at Google Cloud, described the agreement as a security and innovation play for customers operating at scale.

"Our partnership with Entrust reflects Google's commitment to helping businesses innovate securely and at scale," Engelbrecht said. "By combining Entrust identity verification solutions and their deep fraud intelligence with Google Cloud's AI and infrastructure, we're enabling organizations to deliver frictionless, trusted experiences for their customers."

Fraud insights

Entrust said its experience in identity verification provides a large base of signals from real-world checks. Those signals can inform fraud models and policy tuning, particularly when attackers reuse methods across multiple targets.

Tony Ball, President of Payments & Identity and incoming CEO at Entrust, said the partnership will focus on staying ahead of changing fraud tactics.

"Partnering with Google allows us to push the boundaries of what is possible in identity-centric security solutions and help the world's largest organizations stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud while creating seamless digital experiences for their customers," Ball said. "With more than 1 billion identity verifications worldwide, Entrust has unparalleled insight into identity fraud and how to combat it."

For Google Cloud, the agreement continues a pattern of partnering with specialist security vendors and integrating their products with its cloud and AI services. Cloud providers have increasingly positioned security as a differentiator as customers consolidate technology platforms and seek common tooling for compliance, monitoring and incident response.

Entrust sells identity-related security products spanning onboarding checks, authentication and cryptographic key management. The company operates in more than 150 countries and sells through a partner network as well as directly to large enterprises and public sector bodies.

Further product information and resources are expected alongside a rollout planned for 2026.