Acoru Fights AI Fraud In Cybersecurity Industry

Acoru, a cybersecurity startup headquartered in Madrid, has successfully secured a €10 million Series A funding round spearheaded by 33N Ventures, with continued support from existing investors Adara Ventures and Athos Capital.

This infusion of capital aims to bolster Acoru's efforts in equipping banks to forecast and avert AI-driven fraud and money laundering before transactions can occur.

Generative AI-Driven Scams

Current fraud detection technologies struggle to identify Authorized Push Payment Fraud

Fraudulent activities employing generative AI technologies, such as deepfakes, voice cloning, and social engineering, are significantly contributing to financial losses, with global bank fraud and scam losses nearing $500 billion annually.

Current fraud detection technologies struggle to identify Authorized Push Payment Fraud—where individuals are deceived into willingly transferring funds—or recognize early fraud intent signals, focusing instead on transaction monitoring.

Fraudulent AI Automation

Acoru addresses these gaps by enabling banks to detect criminal intentions earlier and prevent individuals from unintentionally participating in money mule activities. By continuously monitoring accounts across various channels, Acoru's platform assesses interactions, not only regarding the targeted bank account but also those of connected accounts. It scores, classifies, and predicts potential risks utilizing pre-fraud detection technologies, aiming to create an intelligent account profile.

The platform scrutinizes characteristics such as multiple micro-transactions or atypical interaction patterns indicative of fraudulent AI automation, alerting banks to intercept activity before financial transfers are made.

This proactive approach aligns with new financial regulations that mandate cost-sharing on reimbursement for victims of unauthorized financial fraud.

Cybersecurity and Fraud Prevention Industries

Acoru has expanded to a global team of over 30 fellows within two years, achieving remarkable revenue growth

Established in December 2023 by Pablo de la Riva Ferrezuelo and David Morán, seasoned specialists in cybersecurity and fraud prevention, Acoru has expanded to a global team of over 30 members within two years, achieving remarkable revenue growth by partnering with banking and financial entities of varying scales.

Pablo de la Riva Ferrezuelo, CEO and co-founder, stated: “AI has changed the face of fraud and money laundering. You simply cannot expect technology built in 2010 to combat fraud happening in 2025. The Acoru team has spent years within the cybersecurity and fraud prevention industries and realised we are failing to keep up with the changing fraud landscape.”

Innovative Consortium Model

Ferrezuelo further explained, “Scammers today have more powerful tools at their disposal than ever before. Our approach predicts future victims, money mules and accounts at risk of being laundered by detecting the earliest warning signals others can't see."

"With our innovative consortium model, banks can finally exchange account classifications through a centralised network that creates a truly collective defense. This is a paradigm shift in how fraud is fought.”

Damaging and Underestimated Challenges

Carlos Moreira da Silva, a Partner at 33N, remarked, “Voluntary fraud has become one of the most damaging and underestimated challenges in today’s financial system. It hurts individuals, families, and institutions alike. These scams are notoriously difficult to detect and stop, and with the rise of AI they will only become more frequent, more sophisticated, and more impactful."

“What impressed us about Acoru is not just their vision, but the rare combination of deep domain expertise and execution excellence of the founding team. Only an exceptional team could design a platform this comprehensive, easy to deploy, and intelligent. At 33N Ventures, we are proud to back Acoru as they redefine how financial fraud is identified and prevented.”