Core Insights - The Identity Fraud Report 2025-2026 by Sumsub indicates a stabilization in the overall global identity fraud rate, while high-quality attacks have surged by 180% from 2024 to 2025 [1][3][7]. Fraud Trends - The rise of fraud-as-a-service platforms has made identity crime more accessible, leading to a "Sophistication Shift" where fewer but more professionalized fraud operations are emerging [3][5]. - The share of multi-step attacks increased from 10% in 2024 to 28% in 2025, indicating a significant rise in sophisticated fraud tactics [7]. AI and Fraud - The emergence of AI fraud agents capable of executing entire fraud operations autonomously poses a new risk, necessitating faster evolution of protection mechanisms [6][10]. - AI-assisted forgery has risen from 0% to 2% in 2025, driven by advanced tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini [7]. Regional Insights - Fraud rates have decreased in Europe (-14.6%) and North America (-5.5%), while they have increased in Africa (+9.3%), APAC (+16.4%), and the Middle East (+19.8%) [7]. - The highest fraud rates are reported in Iraq (9.7%), Pakistan (5.9%), and Tanzania (5.0%) [7]. Affected Sectors - The sectors most impacted by fraud in 2025 include online media & dating (6.3%), financial services (2.7%), and crypto (2.2%) [7]. Fraud Schemes - Top first-party fraud schemes include synthetic identity (21%), chargeback abuse (16%), and deepfakes (11%) [7]. - Top third-party fraud schemes include identity theft (28%), account takeover (19%), and social engineering (16%) [7]. Future Strategies - Effective fraud prevention strategies for 2026 should include continuous assessment of verification processes, blending device telemetry, behavioral analytics, and contextual intelligence [16]. - Compliance teams are evolving into consolidated risk intelligence units that integrate compliance, fraud detection, and case management [16].