Backend agnostic
Sub-millisecond local rules
API and Interceptor
Dedicated infrastructure
app.hellgate.io/specter/overview
Built on the Hellgate Cloud Platform. Works with the fraud backends you already trust.
Visa Decision Manager
FraudSight by Worldpay
Bring your own backend
The problem
Fraud tooling forces bad trade-offs.
Most risk stacks make you choose between speed, accuracy, and flexibility. You should not have to.
Locked to one provider
Single-vendor fraud stacks bind you to one model and one latency profile. Switching means re-integrating everything from scratch.
Speed versus accuracy
Synchronous backend calls add latency to checkout. Skipping them to stay fast leaves weaker, blunter decisions.
Rigid rule engines
Static rules cannot express fallback, parallel scoring, or shadow testing without custom code and brittle glue.
Why Specter
One decision layer between you and every risk backend.
A universal risk and fraud prevention system, built for the complex part of the payments world.
Merchant
Specter
Rules and orchestration
Risk backends
Low latency by design
Backend agnostic, delivered as managed dedicated infrastructure. Local rules run in well under a millisecond.
Combine any backends
Integrates with any risk backend and merges them into sophisticated rulesets you control.
One simple integration
A single one-shot integration covers both classic pre-auth and transparent interceptor scenarios.
Integration
Two ways to plug in. Both invisible to your customers.
Call Specter directly, or slot it transparently between your gateway and acquirer.
API mode
A direct call to Specter’s decision API with an immediate response.
Request a decision, receive Allow, Review, or Block
Local rules always run synchronously and fast
Backends run sync, async, or in shadow mode
Interceptor mode
Specter is hooked transparently between your gateway and acquirer.
No change to your customer-facing flow
Transparent mode forwards every request and records results
Active mode forwards only when the decision is Allow
PATTERN 01
Synchronous pre-auth
Request a decision, apply rules and backends, then authorize on the result.
PATTERN 02
Async with delayed capture
Return a provisional decision instantly, finalize backends async, then capture or cancel.
PATTERN 03
Transparent interceptor
Forward to the acquirer while backends score in shadow mode for safe rollout.
PATTERN 04
Active interceptor
Forward to the acquirer only when the decision outcome is Allow.
Ruleset engine
Compose rules the way real risk teams think.
Rulesets run consistently, with very low latency, against every decision.
Local rules
Match values and ranges, run velocity calculations, and enforce maintained blocklists. All synchronous, all blazing fast.
match
range
velocity
blocklist
Backend orchestration
Group backends and combine them with fallback, parallel, or weighted split strategies inside a single ruleset.
fallback
parallel
split
groups
Shadow mode
Run a backend and record its result without acting on it. Validate new models safely in production.
~300 µs
Median local decision
3
Outcomes: Allow, Review, Block
20+
Tools for AI agents over MCP
Backend partners
Select the backends of your choice based on your annual transaction number and required use-case.
Visa Decision Manager
Fraudsight (Worldpay)
Ravelin
ARIC™ Risk Hub
Decision lifecycle
From first decision to chargeback, in one system.
Every decision resolves to one of three outcomes. Report the events that follow, and Specter feeds them back to refine models and maintain blocklists automatically.
Authorization
Void
Refund
Chargeback
Fraud
Allow
Review
Block
Inside Specter
See every decision. Tune every rule.
A console built for risk teams, from live decisions down to the rule that fired.
A live view of every decision
Track pending reviews, blocks, errors, and allow rate at a glance, with decision volume and the latest decisions streaming in.
- Filter by time window and context
- Per-decision latency in microseconds
- Jump straight to any decision ID
Composable
One product in the Hellgate Cloud Platform.
Run Specter on its own, or compose it freely with other Hellgate products as your needs grow.
You are here
Specter
Real-time risk and fraud decisions.
Guardian
Token vault with network tokenization.
Link
Rapid protocol and backend integration.
Pricing
Pricing that scales with your throughput.
Pick an infrastructure tier, add the backends you need, and compose with other Hellgate products. Transaction counts exclude backend checks.
DEV
Playground
€0.30
/ hour
Development tier
100k transactions
Single node, EU region only
Local rules only
API integration
SAQ A, A-EP, D
S
Hello World
€0.65
/ hour
Production tier
Unlimited transactions
Single node, EU region only
Visa Decision Manager included
Up to 5 local rules, API integration
SAQ A, A-EP
M
Go Live
€3,000
/ month
Production tier
Up to 125K checks per month
US and EU regions
Visa Decision Manager included
Local rules, API and Interceptor
SAQ A, A-EP
Most popular
L
Think Global
€7,000
/ month
Production tier
Up to 333K checks per month
All regions
All backends, free choice
Local rules and blocklisting
API and Interceptor, Link included|SAQ A, D, RoC
XL
Think Big
€12,500
/ month
High availability
Up to 833K checks per month
All regions, high availability
All backends or your own contract
Local rules and blocklisting
API and Interceptor, Link included|SAQ A, D, RoC
XXL
No-limit
Custom
Individual pricing
Unlimited transaction checks
All regions, high availability
All backends or your own contract
MCP integration for AI agents
Link included, SAQ A, D, RoC
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How fast are decisions?
Local rules run in well under a millisecond, with median local decisions around 300 microseconds. Backends can run synchronously, asynchronously, or in shadow mode, so you choose the latency and accuracy trade-off per rule.
Do I have to replace my fraud provider?
No. Specter is backend agnostic. Use Visa Decision Manager or FraudSight by Worldpay out of the box, or bring your own backend contract on the higher tiers.
How do I integrate?
Two ways. Call the decision API directly, or run Specter as a transparent or active interceptor between your gateway and acquirer. Neither changes your customer-facing flow.
What is shadow mode?
A backend runs and records its result without affecting the live decision. It lets you validate new models and providers in production before you trust them.
Is Specter PCI compliant?
Yes. Tiers cover SAQ A through SAQ D and Report on Compliance, running on dedicated infrastructure provisioned for you.
Can AI agents use Specter?
Yes. The Model Context Protocol integration exposes more than 20 tools, so Claude and other agents can query decisions, manage rulesets, and run investigations. It is available on the No-limit tier.
BOOK A DEMO
Walk through a live ruleset with our team. We will map Specter to your risk flows and show you exactly where it fits.
Deep dive into your current payment infrastructure challenges
Personalized walkthrough of relevant Specter features for your use case
Clear explanation of implementation and integration paths
Live Q&A with our payment specialists
Book a demo with our product specialists
Trusted by enterprise clients
What data does Specter analyze?
Device, geo, velocity, token data – never exposing sensitive details.
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Can thresholds be customized?
Yes, merchants define thresholds and rules in Hub.
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How does Specter connect to Hub?
Hub consumes the Specter Score and executes real-time policies
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Is Specter standalone?
Specter can work standalone with basic Hub. Full rule appliance and advanced decisioning require the CPA Hub.
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How does Specter prevent chargeback fraud?
Specter assigns a real-time risk score (0–100) to every transaction as it moves through Hellgate Hub. For chargeback-prone transaction patterns – first-time customers, high-value orders from high-risk geographies, unusual velocity – Specter triggers configurable policies: stepped-up verification, 3D Secure enforcement, or outright blocking. The score draws on device fingerprinting, geolocation, behavioral velocity, and token-level signals. Because Specter integrates natively with Hub as an independent CPA component – rather than a bolted-on third-party API – its scoring feeds directly into routing and decisioning with zero added latency. Backends such as Visa Decision Manager and Ravelin can be selected per use case.
→ Learn more about Specter [link: /cpa/specter]
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What fraud detection backends does Specter support?
Specter is backend-agnostic. It currently integrates with Visa Decision Manager, Worldpay FraudSight, Ravelin, and Featurespace ARIC Risk Hub. You select the backend or combination of backends that fits your transaction profile, geography, and risk appetite. Specter normalizes the output of each backend into a single Specter Score, which Hub then uses for decisioning. Adding a new backend does not require changes to your integration – it is configured at the platform level.
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Can Specter work without Guardian?
Yes. Specter and Guardian are independent components of the Hellgate Composable Payment Architecture. Specter provides real-time fraud intelligence and risk scoring. Guardian provides PCI-compliant card vaulting and tokenization. They integrate naturally when both are in use – Specter can read token-level signals from Guardian to improve scoring accuracy – but each can be deployed standalone or alongside your existing payment infrastructure.
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