As we kick off a new calendar year, there’s already a lot of buzz in terms of expected advances in tech, especially for artificial intelligence. And what about fraud? Fraud isn’t just keeping pace with technology—it’s racing ahead. As the digital world expands, so too do the cunning schemes of fraudsters, who are more innovative and relentless than ever before. With businesses and consumers increasingly at risk, staying a step ahead requires insight into what’s next.
Today, we released our annual Future of Fraud Forecast to highlight five threats that could bring challenges this year for businesses and consumers. They include:
- Crypto highs and lows: Recent events have led to cryptocurrency like Bitcoin increasing dramatically in value. Experian forecasts that criminals will be more motivated to target consumers and crypto providers, leveraging tried-and-true schemes like investment and romance scams, as well as fake websites offering cryptocurrency in an attempt to swindle money from unsuspecting people hoping to ride the wave. Companies will need to leverage robust fraud prevention measures and provide educational resources for consumers to safeguard themselves from these scams.
- Pig butchering scams get meaty: A fraudster’s endgame is to make off with as much money as possible, and pig butchering scams are a prime way of doing so. Criminals will “fatten up” their victims by enticing them over time to participate in an investment scheme and then disappear with the money, leaving their victims with significant financial losses. This requires the fraudster to build a relationship with the victim and establish trust so they can convince them to hand over their bacon. While this type of scam already exists, Experian forecasts that criminals will find ways to produce results faster and in more convincing ways that will dupe people more easily and allow them to elude detection for longer.
- Is it a social media challenge or a crime? Social media has fueled viral products and trends that are typically great recommendations or life hacks. However, last year, a form of check fraud went viral that involved people recording themselves writing bad checks, depositing them at the ATM and withdrawing cash before the check bounced. Some participants in this trend may not have been fully aware of the repercussions. In reality, consumers were committing check fraud by joining the bandwagon. Experian predicts that social media users could perpetuate additional trendy financial fraud schemes with the fraudsters being everyday people instead of savvy criminals.
- Unhealthy password spraying: With the amount of personally identifiable information that healthcare companies have on consumers, Experian forecasts fraudsters will deploy large-scale password spraying cyberattacks using GenAI-created bots to attack healthcare companies at scale to gain access to a company’s systems and the personally identifiable information of employees and patients. Password spraying, also known as credential stuffing or credential guessing, is when an attacker applies a list of commonly used passwords against a list of accounts to guess the right password. This used to be done by humans but, as technology has become more sophisticated, so have the fraudsters. These attacks can now be fueled by GenAI — making the attacks exponentially larger, faster and harder to detect.
- A new generation of bots up the ante: Bot attacks are a well-known tactic used to defraud people and companies by carrying out repetitive instructions to perform a variety of fraud schemes. A new generation of bots has emerged, known as Gen4 bots. Typically built using AI tools and trained to emulate human behavior, these bots are notoriously more difficult to detect and have the potential to bypass firewalls and security with ease. Experian predicts that as Gen4 bot attacks grow, leveraging behavioral analytics will become table stakes for companies to identify and mitigate this type of automated fraud.
Being proactive is paramount in the fight against these and other future fraud threats. Businesses should work with a trusted partner to ensure that they leverage the right data, advanced analytics and technology to mitigate risk. Experian offers identity verification and fraud prevention solutions available on the Experian Ascend Platform™ to help companies anticipate, prepare for and fight fraud. Learn more about Experian’s fraud prevention offerings here.
As we kick off a new calendar year, there’s already a lot of buzz in terms of expected advances in tech, especially for artificial intelligence. And what about fraud? Fraud isn’t just keeping pace with technology—it’s racing ahead. As the digital world expands, so too do the cunning schemes of fraudsters, who are more innovative and relentless than ever before. With businesses and consumers increasingly at risk, staying a step ahead requires insight into what’s next. Today, we released our annual Future of Fraud Forecast to highlight five threats that could bring challenges this year for businesses and consumers. They include: Crypto highs and lows: Recent events have led to cryptocurrency like Bitcoin increasing dramatically in value. Experian forecasts that criminals will be more motivated to target consumers and crypto providers, leveraging tried-and-true schemes like investment and romance scams, as well as fake websites offering cryptocurrency in an attempt to swindle money from unsuspecting people hoping to ride the wave. Companies will need to leverage robust fraud prevention measures and provide educational resources for consumers to safeguard themselves from these scams. Pig butchering scams get meaty: A fraudster’s endgame is to make off with as much money as possible, and pig butchering scams are a prime way of doing so. Criminals will “fatten up” their victims by enticing them over time to participate in an investment scheme and then disappear with the money, leaving their victims with significant financial losses. This requires the fraudster to build a relationship with the victim and establish trust so they can convince them to hand over their bacon. While this type of scam already exists, Experian forecasts that criminals will find ways to produce results faster and in more convincing ways that will dupe people more easily and allow them to elude detection for longer. Is it a social media challenge or a crime? Social media has fueled viral products and trends that are typically great recommendations or life hacks. However, last year, a form of check fraud went viral that involved people recording themselves writing bad checks, depositing them at the ATM and withdrawing cash before the check bounced. Some participants in this trend may not have been fully aware of the repercussions. In reality, consumers were committing check fraud by joining the bandwagon. Experian predicts that social media users could perpetuate additional trendy financial fraud schemes with the fraudsters being everyday people instead of savvy criminals. Unhealthy password spraying: With the amount of personally identifiable information that healthcare companies have on consumers, Experian forecasts fraudsters will deploy large-scale password spraying cyberattacks using GenAI-created bots to attack healthcare companies at scale to gain access to a company’s systems and the personally identifiable information of employees and patients. Password spraying, also known as credential stuffing or credential guessing, is when an attacker applies a list of commonly used passwords against a list of accounts to guess the right password. This used to be done by humans but, as technology has become more sophisticated, so have the fraudsters. These attacks can now be fueled by GenAI — making the attacks exponentially larger, faster and harder to detect. A new generation of bots up the ante: Bot attacks are a well-known tactic used to defraud people and companies by carrying out repetitive instructions to perform a variety of fraud schemes. A new generation of bots has emerged, known as Gen4 bots. Typically built using AI tools and trained to emulate human behavior, these bots are notoriously more difficult to detect and have the potential to bypass firewalls and security with ease. Experian predicts that as Gen4 bot attacks grow, leveraging behavioral analytics will become table stakes for companies to identify and mitigate this type of automated fraud. Being proactive is paramount in the fight against these and other future fraud threats. Businesses should work with a trusted partner to ensure that they leverage the right data, advanced analytics and technology to mitigate risk. Experian offers identity verification and fraud prevention solutions available on the Experian Ascend Platform™ to help companies anticipate, prepare for and fight fraud. Learn more about Experian’s fraud prevention offerings here. Related Posts
The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) is fueling a new wave of sophisticated fraud, transforming the financial services landscape. Experian’s 2024 Global Identity & Fraud Report highlights the challenges businesses face, and the strategies needed to protect consumers while maintaining seamless digital experiences. Based on insights from more than 1,000 business and fraud leaders, and 4,000 consumers worldwide, the report identifies three key forces shaping fraud prevention: GenAI-Powered Fraud: Fraudsters use AI to craft highly personalized attacks, exploiting vulnerabilities across the customer journey. Evolving Regulations: Stricter government requirements demand rapid adaptation of fraud prevention strategies. Customer Expectations: Consumers prioritize secure, efficient services. Many abandon brands after poor account-opening or transactional experiences. A Multi-Layered Defense The report emphasizes the need for a multi-layered approach to combat fraud effectively. Businesses are increasing investments in AI, machine learning, and data-sharing networks to detect and prevent fraud in real-time. “Fraud operates across borders and targets various points in the customer journey,” said Greg Wright, Experian’s Executive Vice President of Identity and Fraud. “Businesses must leverage advanced analytics and alternative data to stay ahead of these evolving threats.” Balancing Security and Experience Consumers value security, but demand convenience. Striking the right balance is critical, as many switch providers after experiencing delays or cumbersome processes. Businesses can succeed by: Using Advanced Analytics: Leveraging AI-driven insights to prevent fraud while maintaining smooth customer experiences. Orchestrating Fraud Prevention: Integrating tools to provide a 360-degree view of customers, ensuring fraud detection is seamless and comprehensive. The Path Forward The rise of GenAI fraud underscores the need for global collaboration and innovation. By adopting advanced technologies and prioritizing customer-centric solutions, businesses can protect consumers while fostering trust. Experian’s 2024 report offers actionable insights for navigating these challenges. Download the full report to learn how to outpace fraudsters while delivering secure, seamless experiences.
Fraudsters are opportunistic. They are capitalizing on using new technology to create more sophisticated fraud schemes, underscoring the importance and urgency of prioritizing fraud prevention strategies. In fact, the FTC reported that consumers lost more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023, the first time losses have ever been so high. As a leader in the fraud prevention and identity verification space, we’re dedicated to helping clients stay ahead of evolving fraud trends and challenges. To that end, today we released the findings of our 9th annual Experian Identity and Fraud Report, which provides an in-depth look at the current fraud landscape and the sentiments of both consumers and businesses. Some of the top findings include: Consumers’ top security concerns include: identity theft (84%) and stolen credit card information (80%), a 20% increase compared to 2023. Sixty-three percent of people say it is important for businesses to be able to recognize them online. Eighty-one percent of consumers say they’re more trusting of businesses that can accomplish easy and accurate identification. People want more types of identity recognition techniques used to verify their identities with physical analytics (71%), PINs sent to a mobile device (70%) and behavioral analytics (66%) evoking the highest sense of security for consumers. Companies recognize the importance of focusing on Gen AI, with 70% saying they expect AI fraud to be the second greatest challenge for their business. Despite AI fraud concerns, businesses ranked detecting and preventing Gen AI fraud and deepfakes as the 12th most important investment area behind prevention for legacy fraud types. With these fraud concerns in mind, companies need to review their current fraud tools and strategies, and look for opportunities to add to or change current approaches, to not only mitigate risk but also keep their customers safe while providing a positive experience. Businesses should work with a trusted partner who can help them implement a multilayered approach to identity verification and fraud prevention and help them meet consumer expectations. Experian offers a full suite of automated tools that harness data and analytics to prevent fraud and mitigate losses. We’re dedicated to empowering clients with the insights they need to make informed, data-driven decisions that safeguard their customers and reduce risk. Our recent acquisition of NeuroID, an industry leader in behavioral analytics, is a testament to this. To learn more about Experian’s fraud prevention solutions: please click here. To read Experian’s 2024 Identity and Fraud Report, please click here.