Home topics news Image Credit: Tom Roberts on Unsplash News News Why consumers are now the single largest source of fraud globally Yajush Gupta January 8, 2026 Stephen Topliss from LexisNexis warns organisations face a potential tipping point as cybercriminals embrace AI-enhanced capabilities. What’s happening : First-party fraud has doubled in one year to represent 36% of all reported fraud globally, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions analysis of over 104 billion transactions. Consumers now emerge as the single largest source of human-initiated fraud. Why this matters : The shift in fraud composition presents significant challenges for prevention, requiring different approaches than traditional scam detection. With over three billion brute-force automated account takeover attacks detected last year, Australian businesses face mounting cybersecurity pressures . First-party fraud has overtaken traditional scams to become the dominant global fraud threat, marking a significant shift in cybercrime patterns that puts consumers at the centre of fraud activity. LexisNexis Risk Solutions released its Global State of Fraud and Identity Report 2026, revealing first-party fraud now accounts for 36% of all reported fraud globally in 2024, more than doubling from 15% the previous year. The report analyses over 104 billion global transactions through the LexisNexis Digital Identity Network platform during 2024, identifying fraud attempts during near real-time analysis of consumer interactions across the online journey. Economics driving fraud surge First-party fraud includes misrepresenting or providing false personal or account information for financial gain, such as when applying for loans, claiming credit or debit card purchases are fraudulent