TransUnion said 49% of 1,000 Canadian adults surveyed reported being targeted by digital fraud in a recent three-month period, pointing to consumer exposure and risks around existing accounts.
The consumer survey was conducted with Dynata from July 17 to 27, 2026. Six percent said they became victims. Among those targeted, phishing led reported tactics at 47%; 44% reported fraudulent calls and 40% fraudulent texts, known as vishing and smishing.
In TransUnion’s Canadian client data, the share of account-login attempts flagged as suspected fraud rose 108% from H1 2022 to H1 2026. The suspected-fraud rate for financial transaction attempts increased 226% over the same period. For H1 2026, account logins represented 42.4% of suspected digital fraud by customer-lifecycle stage, while 1.7% of login attempts were classified as suspected fraud.
TransUnion linked attacks on existing accounts to stolen credentials and social-engineering tactics. Its global H1 2026 analysis also placed 81% of suspected digital fraud in activity involving existing customer relationships.
A separate TransUnion survey of 200 Canadian business respondents, conducted June 5 to 10, 2026, found that 34% named scam or authorized fraud as their organization’s largest source of fraud losses in the prior year. Forty-two percent said that type of fraud had become more common, and 47% were very or extremely concerned that risks were changing faster than their organizations could detect and prevent them.
The TransUnion survey also found that 59% of Canadians surveyed were at least moderately concerned about becoming victims of digital fraud during the coming holiday season. Andrew Sigfrid, TransUnion’s senior director of fraud solutions, said the season brings more messages about deals, deliveries and account activity that fraudsters may exploit. “Protecting customers cannot stop once an account has been opened,” Sigfrid said.
