--- title: 'Fraud Investigator at Koalafi' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/fraud-investigator-koalafi-richmond-y2qv48d4xcvr' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Fraud Investigator at Koalafi - **Company:** Koalafi - **Location:** Richmond, VA - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-08-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/koalafi/jobs/6148218004?gh_jid=6148218004 ## Job description At Koalafi, we believe in a world where no one has to put an important purchase on hold. That’s why we’re making it easier for more people to pay for big purchases over time. Retailers across the country rely on us to offer flexible lease-to-own financing to their non-prime consumers, while increasing sales and strengthening customer loyalty. Their 2M+ customers love us because we provide a flexible way for them to make payments and give them an opportunity to improve their credit. Our 200+ Koalafi teammates enjoy inspiring and challenging work that accelerates their careers. Interested in learning more about how we’re transforming the financing experience and joining our team? ## What You’ll Do Koalafi partners with thousands of merchants across the country to offer point-of-sale financing and receives over a million customer applications per year. As a Fraud Investigator, you will monitor and research risk signals for both customers and merchants that could indicate some form of fraud is being committed. This includes a risk assessment during onboarding of new merchants, ongoing monitoring/review of merchant performance, and review of applications flagged for potential fraud. As a Fraud Investigator, you will look for systemic patterns in suspicious customer and merchant behavior and conduct deep dives/investigations to determine legitimacy. This includes identity theft, synthetic IDs, manipulated IDs, taking advantage of vulnerable persons, and taking advantage of family or friends. Fraud Investigators have several tools available to assist in their research, such as application data, internal system of record data, internet search data, and third-party fraud prevention tools. You will be expected to use these tools and proactively call potential fraud victims to reach as accurate a conclusion as possible. In this role you will: - Identify systemic patterns in suspicious customer and merchant behavior and conduct investigations - Review and evaluate all new merchant partners during onboarding to ensure we establish partnerships with properly licensed merchants that align with our intent - Manage inbound fraud claims and perform ad hoc research into uncommon scenarios that could indicate foul play - Leverage tools such as application data, internal system of record data, internet search data, and third-party fraud prevention tools to reach accurate investigation conclusions - Collaborate across multiple departments, such as Sales, Operations, Fraud Analytics, and Compliance ## About You (Qualifications) - 2+ years of relevant experience in fraud detection, investigation, or related financial services experience - Strong pattern recognition and attention to detail, with a strong commitment to quality, accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality - Ability to conduct thorough research using multiple data sources - Experience documenting processes, procedures, and investigation findings - Excellent verbal and written communication skills - Strong interpersonal skills; you’re comfortable having difficult conversations with merchants - Strong sense of ownership and motivation to stop fraudsters - Proficiency in tools like Microsoft Excel and Word; familiarity with fraud databases or investigative platforms is a plus - Ability to work independently and efficiently, both in-person and on work from home days - Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with strong prioritization skills and ability to handle multiple responsibilities at once - Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred - High school diploma, GED, or equivalent certification Location: Richmond, VA; Arlington, VA; or Remote (U.S.). Associates near one of our office locations may work in-office, hybrid, or remotely. Remote opportunities are available to candidates throughout the United States. Salary Range: $61,000-$74,000 per year (depending on experience and location) Additional Compensation: This position will be eligible to participate in company bonus plan. The final salary offer will depend on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, and geographic location. The actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter. Applications will be accepted until position is filled. Why choose Koalafi: A career at Koalafi means opportunities to tackle exciting challenges every single day. We take pride in a culture of innovation, trust, and ownership. You'll get outside your comfort zone, build meaningful relationships, and most of all, take charge of projects that ultimately help people get the things they need most. Benefits: At Koalafi, you will have a direct impact on our products and help shape the company’s success. We offer competitive compensation & benefits packages to keep you at your best: - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage - 20 PTO days + 11 paid holidays - 401(k) retirement with company matching - Student Loan & Tuition Reimbursement - Commuter assistance - Parental leave (maternal + paternal) - Inclusion and Associate Engagement Programs Who we are & what we value: - We focus on what’s most important - We set clear expectations and deliver - We embrace challenges to reach our full potential - We ask, “How can this be better?” - We move fast together ## About Koalafi ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Koalafi provides lease-to-own and lending solutions that help non-prime consumers finance purchases while enabling merchants to close more sales. - **Entity Type**: Private (Debt Financing) - **Headquarters**: Washington, District of Columbia, United States - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Not publicly available (dba West Creek Financial, Inc.) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Financial Services (Fintech, Consumer Finance) - **Target customers**: B2B (merchants) and B2C (consumers). Serves 28k+ merchant partners and non-prime U.S. consumers. - **Mission/Purpose Statement**: *“Make essential purchases possible today, while supporting a stronger financial foundation for tomorrow.”* They aim to fix a system where too many non-prime consumers are told “no,” and merchants lose sales. ## Products & Services - **Koalafi Lease-to-Own & Lending Platform**: A SaaS/embedded finance platform offering consumers flexible, transparent payment plans. Merchants integrate it in-store or online to approve more shoppers (up to $7,500 approval amounts) and get paid quickly (2 business days). Loans issued by The Bank of Missouri. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed (private company). - **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$195.5M** across 6 rounds. Notable: $150M debt round in Oct 2019 led by Pollen. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Pollen (lead on $150M round). Trusted by **28k+ merchant partners**. - **Growth Signals**: - 207 employees (+19.7% YoY, +44 people), with **+2.3% monthly growth** in headcount. - **9 out of 10** U.S. consumers are eligible for their plans. - **90th percentile NPS** in credit and software categories. - **A+ BBB rating**. - Active job postings up **130.8% YoY**, with 30 current open roles. - LinkedIn followers: 21,509 (+30.2% yearly). ## Competitive Advantages - **High approval rates**: Uses a proprietary scoring model that looks beyond credit scores, capturing non-prime consumers that traditional lenders reject. - **Transparent, fixed terms**: Total cost and schedule shown upfront; “no surprises.” - **Merchant risk protection**: Koalafi takes 100% of the consumer risk — merchants face no financial risk. - **Credit bureau reporting**: On-time payments help consumers build credit, a clear differentiator vs. payday lenders or predatory financing. - **World-class support**: Merchant support available 365 days/year with chat, phone, and email; high customer satisfaction (NPS in 90th percentile). ## Strategic Focus - **Expand merchant network**: Targeting the 40% of U.S. adults lacking prime credit by making their platform the default choice for lease-to-own. - **Deepen product/tech**: Recent hire of Chief Product & Technology Officer (Charles Battle) signals investment in platform and integrations. - **Scaling the workforce**: 130.8% YoY growth in job postings indicates aggressive hiring in product, engineering, data, risk, operations, and sales. - **Global presence**: While HQ is in Washington, DC, Koalafi has teams in Brazil and Bangladesh, hinting at global or nearshore expansion. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Described as “startup spirit with established stability.” Values include “Move fast together,” “Focus on what’s most important,” and “Ask, ‘How can this be better?’”. High NPS culture translates internally. - **Work Model**: Hybrid/Remote. Offices in **Richmond, VA** (HQ, Manchester neighborhood) and **Arlington, VA** (Rosslyn). Remote roles available nationwide with regular travel to corporate offices. - **Benefits (from careers page)**: - Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance - 401K with company match - 12 weeks paid parental leave - Generous PTO + volunteer leave - Tuition reimbursement & student loan support - **Employee Rating**: **4.3/5.0** (212 reviews on their employer profile). Breakdown: Work-Life 4.3, Culture 4.3, Career 4.1, Compensation 4.2. - **Talent Sources**: Heavy recruiting from Capital One, CarMax, Wells Fargo — indicating a strong fintech talent pipeline. - **Engineering Culture**: Heavy technical hiring (DevOps Lead, Senior Data Scientist, Senior Product Designer) suggests a product-led engineering culture. ## Sources 1. [koalafi.com](https://koalafi.com/) 2. [koalafi.com/careers/](https://koalafi.com/careers/) 3. [koalafi.com/about-us/](https://koalafi.com/about-us/) 4. [koalafi.com/job-listings/](https://koalafi.com/job-listings/) 5. 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