Synthetic Identities And Agentic Bots Drive 8 Per Cent Global Rise In Fraud Attacks

Cybercriminals are scaling automation, deploying bots that convincingly mimic human behaviour and building fake identities from stolen data fragments, according to the latest annual cybercrime report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

The report, released today, draws on analysis of more than 116 billion online transactions processed through the LexisNexis Digital Identity Network during 2025. It found the global fraud attack rate climbed 8 per cent year on year, with the sharpest increases concentrated in the gaming, gambling and eCommerce sectors.

Synthetic identity fraud surges eight-fold

Among the most striking findings is the rapid growth of synthetic identity fraud, which now accounts for more than one in ten reported frauds globally. The fraud type saw an eight-fold increase year on year, making it the fastest-growing category tracked in the report.

Synthetic identities are fabricated by stitching together stolen personal attributes from multiple individuals to create entirely new personas. These identities can take months to establish before being used to commit fraud, representing a shift away from opportunistic attacks toward longer-term schemes.

The tactic is proving particularly attractive in Latin America, where synthetic identity fraud accounts for 48.3 per cent of all reported fraud. With no immediate victim to raise the alarm, the approach offers high potential returns for criminal networks.

First-party fraud remains the top category

Despite the growth in synthetic fraud, first-party fraud – where customers defraud the organisations they do business with – remains the most commonly reported fraud type globally for the second consecutive year, comprising 38.3 per cent of all reported cases.

The picture varies by region. In EMEA, first-party fraud makes up more than half of all reported fraud at 51.7 per cent. In Latin America, by contrast, it accounts for less than 10 per cent.

Agentic bot traffic jumps 450 per cent

The report flagged a 450 per cent increase in agentic traffic between January and December 2025, largely linked to credit card payments and logins at gaming and gambling sites.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions noted that while there is no indication of malicious intent behind this traffic, it presents a new challenge for fraud detection teams. Agentic bots introduce a third category of digital interaction alongside genuine human transactions and traditional bots that follow a defined instruction set.

Stephen Topliss, Vice President of Fraud and Identity at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, described the trend as part of a broader shift in the threat landscape.

“Fraud continues to evolve at pace with digital innovation,” Topliss explained. “While organisations are strengthening defences across channels, cybercriminal networks are scaling automation, shifting tactics and probing for any available weaknesses across the digital customer journey.”

“Increasingly, attackers rely on advanced bots and AI-driven tools to mimic human behaviour and test defences with unprecedented speed and accuracy.”

Malicious bots learn to act like humans

The report found that malicious bot attacks rose 59 per cent over the year, with peaks recorded throughout March and April and again in August 2025.

These bots are growing more capable at impersonating people. They can now replicate genuine human actions, such as the way a cursor moves around a login screen, with enough plausibility to evade behavioural fraud detection tools.

eCommerce and gambling sectors hit hard

The eCommerce sector saw its fraud attack rate grow 64 per cent year on year. The attack rate at login, where fraudsters attempt to gain control of customer accounts, jumped 216 per cent. Growth in these attacks occurred across all regions, with the United States, Canada and APAC particularly affected.

Gaming and gambling sites experienced a 76 per cent rise in global attack rate over the course of 2025.

APAC fraud rate outpaces global average

The Asia-Pacific region continued to see strong digital transaction growth alongside rising fraud activity. APAC’s cybercrime attack rate rose 12 per cent year on year to 1.7 per cent, surpassing the global average of 1.6 per cent.

The increase was particularly pronounced across desktop browser channels, where attacks surged 25 per cent year on year to 6.9 per cent, driven by more sophisticated automated activity.

Regional trends paint a varied picture

North America experienced periodic spikes in eCommerce fraud activity during the year, although the overall attack rate held steady at roughly 2.2 per cent. Fraud attacks in the region most frequently targeted login events and eCommerce platforms.

EMEA’s attack rate rose 27 per cent year on year, the first significant increase in several years. The jump was largely driven by account takeover attempts as fraudsters targeted authentication weaknesses across digital services.

Latin America’s fraud patterns remained diverse across industries, though the region saw growing concerns around synthetic identity fraud linked to expanding digital services and regulated online gaming markets.

Preparing for an automated future

Topliss warned that organisations need to rethink their approach to fraud detection as automated agents become a more common part of online interactions.

“Cybercriminals are experimenting with the same technologies that are transforming digital commerce and organisations must prepare for a future where both legitimate users and malicious actors rely on automated agents to interact online,” he added.

“Those that succeed must be able to confidently distinguish between humans, bots and agents as well as determining intent.”

Topliss pointed to growing collaboration across the industry as a positive sign, highlighting the role of global digital intelligence, advanced analytics and cross-industry partnerships in combating fraud.

“Organisations that share risk intelligence are best positioned to protect consumers and build trust in the digital economy.”

The full LexisNexis Risk Solutions Cybercrime Report is available for download from the company’s website.

Last Updated on March 26, 2026 by Nick Ross