SEISMO pre-project develops more secure digital marketplaces

Funded by the Research Council of Norway through the “NCC-NO: Innovation Support for Tomorrow’s Cyber Security projects” call, SEISMO focuses on leveraging advanced AI techniques to detect fraudulent activities in digital marketplaces.

Project overview and objectives

Running in 2025 for five months, the work is led by Omar Richardson and the Applied AI department at Simula, in collaboration with Tise, a prominent platform for buying and selling second-hand items, and in close partnership with Forbruksforskningsinstituttet SIFO. The primary objective of this pre-project is to validate research hypotheses for developing and implementing the SEISMO system, ensuring readiness for a larger R&D effort and eventual commercial use.

State-of-the-art AI approaches

The project aims to assess the feasibility of identifying users with fraudulent intentions before they act, without relying on personally identifiable information. To do so, the project will explore AI techniques to detect fraudulent activities proactively. The focus will be on detecting inherently fraudulent patterns/suspicious behavioural characteristics, or 'identifying the data patterns inherent to fraud. This shift from traditional rule-based fraud detection to data-driven, predictive analytics is a key innovation aimed at creating adaptable cybersecurity solutions.

Simula's role and collaboration

Simula’s role in the project involves conducting research, contributing expertise in AI and machine learning, and working closely with Tise to develop and test the SEISMO system. This collaboration aims to produce tangible outcomes that enhance the security and trust in digital marketplaces.

“Digital scams are a huge problem in today's society and target young people in particular. Together with Tise, we are investigating how to pick up early indications of fraud, without compromising individual privacy. This will help Tise maintain the safety of their users and benefit the community as a whole. It’s early days, and we’re still exploring approaches, but having a clear societal challenge to solve makes the journey incredibly motivating.”

- Omar Richardson, Chief Technology Officer & project lead

Addressing modern cyber threats

The SEISMO pre-project seeks to deliver next-generation fraud prevention mechanisms to adapt to evolving cyber threats, addressing the growing issue of advanced and frequent phishing attempts and digital fraud. By doing so, it aims to make digital marketplaces safer and more secure for everyone.