TransUnion’s report places 81% of suspected digital fraud cases worldwide in the first half of 2026 in activity involving people who already had a customer relationship with the business.
The company also found that 19.4% of outbound business-to-consumer calls with U.S. mobile carriers were spoofed during those six months. About 60% of surveyed business leaders said customers had experienced text-message spoofing within the previous year.
Scam and authorized fraud figured prominently in survey responses. In a June 2026 survey, 35% of U.S. business leaders and 29% of global respondents named it as the largest source of fraud losses at their organizations. Another 51% of U.S. leaders said scam and authorized fraud activity had increased over the previous year.
TransUnion said artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are making it easier for fraudsters to build identities and content and expand their operations. Brian Killeen, the company’s vice president of global identity solutions, said organizations need “a more connected understanding of trust” as fraudsters exploit established relationships beyond onboarding.
The report describes different pressure points across industries. Retail accounts face exposure around promotions where verification is less stringent; financial services face risks during transactions. In gaming, the company identified risks at account creation, login and transaction stages.
TransUnion estimated U.S. lenders had $2.4 billion in exposure to synthetic identities as of June 30, 2026. Business leaders also estimated that fraud losses reached nearly 7% of annual revenue over the prior year, the company said.
The findings add to EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of human-verification tools proposed for banks amid AI fraud concerns. TransUnion said its report draws on its fraud intelligence and research with businesses and consumers in several markets.
