Users hiding behind VPNs, proxies, or data centers can be a serious problem—especially during the account creation process. While not all proxy users are malicious, these tools are frequently used to spoof location, bypass regional restrictions, and automate fake signups at scale.
The Problem: IP Obfuscation Enables Fraud
IP addresses are a core piece of identity. When someone hides theirs behind a proxy or VPN, you lose insight into:
- Their actual location
- Whether they’re part of a known abuse cluster
- If multiple accounts are being created from the same origin
Attackers and bots often rotate through clean-looking VPN IPs that aren’t yet blacklisted. Many use residential proxy services, which route traffic through real people’s internet connections—making them harder to detect.
This IP obfuscation is a key tactic used to:
- Bypass rate-limiting
- Avoid geo-restrictions
- Create large volumes of fake accounts undetected
How Guardient Detects VPNs and Proxies at Signup
Guardient’s IP Risk Detection system is designed to surface suspicious IPs in real time, using multiple layers of intelligence:
Real-Time IP Intelligence
Guardient maintains a frequently updated database of IP ranges linked to:
- VPN providers
- Hosting/data center infrastructure
- Commercial proxies
When a user signs up, their IP is checked against this database and scored accordingly.
Signal-Based Scoring, Not Hard Blocks
Not all proxy users are malicious. That’s why Guardient doesn’t just block based on raw IP data. Instead, each IP match contributes a weighted signal to the overall trust score.
This allows you to:
- Apply stricter rules only when the score exceeds your defined threshold
- Combine IP analysis with other checks (email, phone, etc.)
- Avoid false positives from legitimate VPN users
Support for Regional Sensitivity
If your service offers location-based content or region-locked features, Guardient can help enforce those policies. You can flag accounts attempting to sign up from mismatched regions, based on trusted IP geolocation data.
Why Standard IP Checks Aren’t Enough
Simple IP reputation services or firewalls may detect known bad IPs—but they’re often:
- Outdated by days or weeks
- Limited to known abuse reports
- Blind to rotating residential IP pools
Guardient’s detection system is updated daily and includes emerging proxy networks, including services that monetize residential users for traffic relaying.
By integrating Guardient at the signup level, you gain an additional defense layer that keeps your platform clear of accounts designed to mask intent or origin.
Make Location and Identity Signals Trustworthy Again
Guardient gives you back visibility into the network layer of your users. By detecting VPNs and proxies as part of your trust scoring pipeline, you can filter out signups that aren’t who they claim to be—without disrupting good users.
Protect your sign-up flow, reduce fraud, and regain control of your access points.