SentiLink is a third-party fraud-prevention tool Climb uses to help identify applications that may involve synthetic or stolen identities. This additional layer of identity verification helps protect schools, students, and Climb from fraudulent loan activity.
This article explains what SentiLink is, how its scoring works, and what schools may see when SentiLink affects an application decision.
What is SentiLink?
SentiLink provides Climb with data that helps assess the likelihood of synthetic identity fraud on a loan application. Climb’s analysis has shown that SentiLink is effective at flagging applications with a high risk of identity issues.
SentiLink is used automatically during the underwriting process for most schools.
What data does SentiLink use?
To assess identity risk, SentiLink analyzes information submitted as part of the Climb application, which may include:
Name
Address
Date of Birth
SSN
Phone
Email
IP Address
Application details (such as application date and ID)
Applicants do not need to provide any additional information beyond what is already collected in the Climb application.
How SentiLink scoring works
Each applicant receives two scores:
ID Theft Score – Indicates the likelihood that an identity is stolen
Abuse Score – Indicates the likelihood that an identity is synthetic or otherwise suspicious
These scores are used to determine whether an application passes identity verification.
How SentiLink affects underwriting
An application will fail SentiLink screening if the score is too high. This applies to all Climb products, including those that typically approve all applicants.
If SentiLink screening is failed:
The application is not eligible for approval
The denial communication will indicate that identity could not be verified
What schools will see
Adverse Action Notice (AAN) language
If an application is denied due to SentiLink, the Adverse Action Notice will include the following reason:
“Unable to verify identity of all applicants.”
This reason will appear on its own, without additional denial factors. Schools do not need to take any action in these cases.
Why SentiLink matters
Climb’s analysis shows that applications with failing SentiLink scores have historically had very high loss rates.
Using SentiLink helps:
Reduce fraudulent loan activity
Protect schools from associated tuition losses
Maintain a healthier financing ecosystem for all partners
Do schools need to do anything when SentiLink is enabled?
No. SentiLink runs automatically in the background as part of Climb’s underwriting process.
If an application is denied due to SentiLink, schools should follow their normal denial processes. No additional documentation is required from the school or the student.
If you have questions about SentiLink results or fraud screening in general, please contact your Partner Success Manager—we’re here to help.