ANNOUNCEMENT
Mastercard MMP requirements 2026
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Front Site Detection
Exposure of new and existing deceptive merchants

Audits a merchant’s declared website to surface high-confidence risk.

Key benefit

Websites are audited at onboarding

Front Site Detection analyzes a merchant’s declared website during onboarding to validate whether the business activity aligns with what the merchant claims.

Key benefit

Misrepresentation signals are extracted

Site content is analyzed alongside domain intelligence—such as URL structure and digital footprint—to flag anomalies indicative of deceptive front sites.

Key benefit

Risk is assessed using expert-designed frameworks

Expert-designed frameworks using AI/ML and human intelligence detect subtle patterns at scale, surfacing hidden risks with high confidence.

Key benefit

Teams get a focused call to action

Front Site Detection surfaces the most suspicious merchants for review or escalation, supporting early action without slowing onboarding.

Common Questions

Clear answers to how Front Site Detection works and how teams act on risk.

Does it…

Does it run before transactions begin?

Yes. It analyzes the declared website at onboarding so teams can act before transactions begin.

Does it detect front sites and business misrepresentation?

Yes. It identifies deceptive front sites, seemingly benign websites used to mask illicit or misaligned business activity.

Does it evaluate all merchants or only a subset?

It evaluates merchant websites broadly to isolate and surface only the specific sites that show signs of misrepresentation.

Does it replace KYB or ongoing monitoring?

No. Front Site Detection complements onboarding controls by surfacing early misrepresentation risk.

What do I get…

High-confidence front-site risk alerts

Alerts identifying suspected front sites and business misrepresentation early in onboarding.

Signal-based evidence from live websites

Evidence derived from live website content and additional site intelligence used to support review and escalation.

Merchants flagged for review or escalation and shareable reports

A focused set of merchants surfaced for review or escalation, with findings summarized in shareable reports.

Early risk insight to support action

Risk insight designed to support action before transactions begin.