81% of Suspected Digital Fraud Attacks Target Existing Customer Relationships, TransUnion Finds

Among U.S. business leaders, 53% cited synthetic identity fraud as the threat they were least prepared to address.

Rhea-AI Summary

TransUnion (TRU) published research finding that 81% of suspected digital fraud globally involved interactions with existing customers in H1 2026. Its Fraud in the Age of Continuous Trust report examines risks across account creation, logins and transactions, alongside the use of artificial intelligence to scale attacks.

Business leaders estimated fraud losses equivalent to nearly 7% of annual revenue over the past year. In the U.S., 51% reported increased scam and authorized fraud activity, while 35% identified that category as their largest source of fraud losses. Nearly one in five outbound business-to-consumer calls with U.S. mobile carriers was spoofed in H1 2026, meaning the caller's identity was disguised. U.S. lenders faced an estimated $2.4 billion in exposure tied to synthetic identities—fabricated identities—as of June 30, 2026.

Key Figures

Fraud involving existing customers: 81% Fraud losses: Nearly 7% of annual revenue Scam and authorized fraud as leading loss source: 35% +5 more

Fraud involving existing customers

81%

Suspected digital fraud globally in H1 2026

Fraud losses

Nearly 7% of annual revenue

Business leaders’ estimate for the past year

Scam and authorized fraud as leading loss source

35%

U.S. business leaders identifying it as their organization’s leading source of fraud losses

Expected increase in synthetic identity fraud

67%

Business leaders expecting an increase over the next two years

Unprepared for synthetic identity fraud

53%

Business leaders citing it as the threat they are least prepared to address

Increased scam and authorized fraud activity

51%

U.S. business leaders reporting an increase over the past year

Synthetic identity exposure

$2.4 billion

Estimated U.S. lender exposure as of June 30, 2026

Pressure from fraud scale and sophistication

43%

U.S. business leaders reporting significant or severe pressure

Key Terms

account takeover, synthetic identity fraud

2 terms

account takeover financial

"enable account takeover and payment fraud"

An account takeover occurs when an unauthorized person gains control of a customer or company account—such as banking, trading, email, or user portals—usually by stealing passwords or bypassing security. It matters to investors because these incidents can cause direct financial loss, damage trust and brand value, trigger regulatory fines, and reveal weaknesses in a company’s controls; think of it like someone stealing the key to a mailbox and rifling through bills and instructions.

synthetic identity fraud financial

"Synthetic identity fraud is a key concern"

Synthetic identity fraud is the creation of a fake person using a mix of real data (like a Social Security number) and fabricated details to open accounts, get loans, or make transactions. It matters to investors because it can lead to hidden loan losses, rising compliance and insurance costs, and damaged trust in financial firms — like a business being tricked by a convincing fake customer who never intends to pay, reducing profits and raising regulatory risk.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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More than half of U.S. business leaders reported increased scam and authorized fraud activity over the past year as fraudsters use AI to scale attacks and exploit trusted relationships

CHICAGO, Oct. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New findings from TransUnion’s (NYSE: TRU) latest global Top Fraud Trends Report show that fraudsters are increasingly exploiting the trust associated with legitimate identities and brands rather than creating fake ones. As the threat evolves, organizations face growing financial consequences, with business leaders estimating fraud losses equivalent to nearly 7% of annual revenue in the past year. Meanwhile, advances in AI and automation are helping criminals open fraudulent accounts, infiltrate existing ones and undermine customer relationships at greater scale.

TransUnion’s report, Fraud in the Age of Continuous Trust, found that 81% of suspected digital fraud globally in H1 2026 occurred during interactions with existing customers, as fraudsters exploit trusted relationships and established accounts.

"As fraudsters increasingly exploit trusted relationships beyond onboarding, organizations need to move to a more connected understanding of trust," said Brian Killeen, vice president of global identity solutions at TransUnion." Harnessing intelligence across the customer lifecycle and applying context to each interaction is critical to identifying emerging threats and enabling trusted interactions."

Additional findings from the report indicate trust is being manipulated at scale through existing communication channels. Nearly one in five outbound business-to-consumer calls with U.S. mobile carriers was spoofed in the first half of 2026, demonstrating how fraudsters can exploit phone network vulnerabilities to impersonate trusted organizations and enable account takeover and payment fraud. Similarly, six in 10 business leaders indicated their customers were victimized by text spoofing in the last year, further illustrating the widespread exploitation of trusted communication channels.

Together, these findings demonstrate how fraudsters increasingly operate outside the enterprise, using communication channels such as phone calls and text messages to manipulate consumers directly on their devices. These scams are often designed to convince victims to open new accounts or grant access to existing ones, fueling a growing wave of scam and authorized fraud, with 35% of U.S. business leaders identifying it as the
leading source of fraud losses.

Scam/Authorized Fraud Was Cited as the Leading Source of Fraud Losses in the U.S. and Worldwide
Business leaders citing these fraud types as their organization’s largest source of losses in the past year

	Account Takeover Fraud	First-Party Fraud	Scam/Authorized Fraud	Synthetic Identity Fraud	Third-Party Fraud
U.S.	16%	18%	35%	18%	9%
Global	17%	15%	29%	18%	17%

Source: TransUnion business fraud survey, June 2026

The study also examined where fraud occurs across the customer lifecycle and how risks differ by industry. Key findings include:

• Retail: Account creation risk is especially high due to promotion abuse, as customers often need accounts to access discounts. At the same time, retailers typically use lower-friction identity verification to remain competitive.
  
• Financial Services: While account creation presents immediate risk of fraud, transaction related activities pose even greater risk. This underscores the importance of connecting identity, behavioral and transactional intelligence to identify emerging threats throughout the customer relationship
  
• Gaming (online gambling and betting): Fraud risk remains high throughout the customer lifecycle. While strong identity verification helps reduce some threats, fraudsters still target new accounts for bonus abuse, with additional risks emerging during account logins and transactions.
  

“Fraud risk is shaped by context. Across industries, these findings show how threats evolve throughout the customer journey, revealing where organizations are most exposed and why effective fraud prevention must adapt to the specific interaction and threat,” said Clint Lowry, vice president of global fraud strategy at TransUnion.

AI is Accelerating Fraud, Demanding Faster, More Adaptive Defenses

The report also shows that fraud is becoming more adaptive and harder to contain. AI has fundamentally changed the economics of fraud by automating activities that once required significant human effort, including creating identities, generating content and targeting victims. This allows fraudsters to accelerate and scale their attacks faster than organizations can adapt their detection capabilities and mitigation strategies.

Forty three percent of U.S. business leaders said the growing scale and sophistication of fraud is placing significant or severe pressure on their organizations. Synthetic identity fraud is a key concern, with 67% expecting it to increase over the next two years and 53% citing it as the threat they are least prepared to address.

In the U.S., 51% of business leaders reported increased scam and authorized fraud activity over the past year. U.S. lenders face an estimated $2.4 billion in exposure tied to synthetic identities as of June 30, 2026.

Killeen added, “AI is accelerating the pace at which fraudsters develop, scale and adapt their attacks. To keep pace, organizations must shorten the time between detecting emerging threats, learning from them and adapting their defenses, turning intelligence into action before vulnerabilities can be exploited.”

To learn more about the findings in Fraud in the Age of Continuous Trust, click here.

To learn more about how TransUnion Fraud Solutions help organizations identify emerging fraud earlier, strengthen digital trust and protect customer relationships while maintaining friction-right experiences, click here.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)

TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments, we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world.

http://www.transunion.com/business

Contact	Dave Blumberg TransUnion
E-mail	david.blumberg@transunion.com
Telephone	312-972-6646

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did TransUnion's report find about fraud targeting existing customers?

81% of suspected digital fraud globally occurred during interactions with existing customers in H1 2026. The report examined how established accounts and trusted relationships are exploited beyond the initial account-opening stage.

How many U.S. business leaders reported rising scam activity in TransUnion's fraud report?

51% of U.S. business leaders reported increased scam and authorized fraud activity over the past year. Separately, 35% identified that category as their organization's largest source of fraud losses during that period.