Early Warning Services Launches Certos Identity Security Unit to Strengthen Zelle Fraud Prevention

Early Warning Services, or EWS, is a fintech company jointly owned by U.S. banks and operates the Zelle real-time peer-to-peer payment network. As identity theft and fraudulent transactions intensify regulatory and consumer-protection pressure, EWS has created Certos to combine risk signals from banks and different payment channels for identity verification and fraud prevention.

As of July 20, 2026, EWS had announced Certos as a new business unit dedicated to identity security and fraud prevention. Its remit extends beyond Zelle to identifying risks across payment channels. Available information did not specify the exact launch date, investment amount or staffing level. Key next steps will include Certos’ product rollout timetable and the identities of its financial-institution partners.