New Year, New Threats: Key Fraud Trends to Prepare for in 2025

As we look toward 2025, the fight against fraud is intensifying. Advances in technology, coupled with new digital touchpoints, are creating both challenges and opportunities for fraudsters. For fraud teams, staying ahead means understanding the trends that will shape the coming year and implementing defenses that can handle these complex threats.

Below, we explore six fraud trends expected to dominate in 2025, along with real-world examples and actionable steps.

1. Expansion of Multi-Channel Fraud Tactics

In 2025, fraudsters are expected to exploit multiple platforms with increasing sophistication, coordinating attacks across social media, eCommerce sites, and messaging apps. The FTC reported that, just two years ago, scams originating on social media alone accounted for $2.7 billion in losses since 2021, making it the most costly fraud contact method. As digital ecosystems grow, that number is likely to skyrocket.

Fraudsters leverage social media and other channels to build intricate networks that mask their activities and evade detection. A typical scheme might begin with fraud rings spreading fake promotions on social media, directing users to an eCommerce platform to “redeem” the offer. Then, using messaging apps, they coordinate their efforts, coaching participants to keep the scheme appearing legitimate.

This expanding digital journey creates new gaps between platforms—vulnerabilities that fraudsters are primed to exploit, especially since many companies still detect fraud within siloed systems.

Recommendation: Build a central fraud detection hub with cross-channel visibility to recognize patterns across platforms, helping to catch fraud rings before they spread.

2. Rise of Synthetic Identities, Fueled by AI and Deepfake Technology

Advances in AI and deepfake technology are expected to propel synthetic identity fraud to new levels, creating more realistic and harder-to-detect fake identities.

Fraudsters now blend real and fabricated data, often enhanced with deepfake images and video, to create identities that pass traditional verification checks. And by tapping into widely accessible AI-driven profile generation and deepfake tools, they can craft identities that commit fraud without leaving easily traceable roots.

A recent Fraud in Focus issue highlighted how deepfakes are increasingly used to bypass visual verification processes. In one case, fraudsters combined real data with synthetic details to create profiles that mimicked legitimate users, successfully opening accounts across multiple financial platforms. By the time anomalies were detected, substantial financial losses had already been incurred.

This rise in accessible deepfake technology means synthetic identity fraud will continue to grow more sophisticated, necessitating verification strategies that go beyond traditional data checks.

Tip: Use multi-layered verification that combines behavioral analysis with anomaly detection to identify fake profiles before they become active.

3. New Vulnerabilities in Digital Goods Marketplaces

As digital assets like NFTs, in-game items, and other high-value digital goods continue to gain popularity, they’ve become a prime target for fraudsters. These items are not only valuable but also challenging to trace and recover once stolen, making them especially vulnerable to theft and resale.

The surge in online gaming and digital marketplaces has only heightened fraudsters’ interest. In notable cases, attackers have exploited account recovery processes to access and resell valuable assets, as seen with Fortnite and Roblox account takeovers in recent years. As digital communities grow and high-value items become more mainstream, we can expect a rise in these schemes.

Many platforms are unprepared to track ownership histories and secure digital assets, making it easy for attackers to exploit gaps in security.

Best Practice: Implement real-time monitoring of digital asset transfers and strengthen account protection with multi-factor authentication and account takeover prevention protocols. These measures help detect and block unauthorized access early, reducing the risk of asset theft and the need for costly recovery efforts.

4. Escalation in Promotion Abuse and Loyalty Program Fraud

Companies are increasing promotions and loyalty incentives, which means fraudsters are scaling up abuse tactics. In 2025, we’re likely to see more sophisticated and creative methods of promo abuse, with fraudsters using fake accounts, bot-driven coupon redemptions, and sometimes even exploiting insider knowledge to manipulate promotions and loyalty programs.

Take, for example, a scenario where a food delivery driver receives a call that appears to be from a company representative. The caller claims an order has been placed with a stolen credit card and initiates a series of actions—account resets, authorization codes, and a locked-out period—that effectively gives the fraudster access to the account. By leveraging a seemingly legitimate “bonus promotion,” the fraudster encourages the driver to rack up activity, only to intercept the earnings through an unauthorized banking app.

With the market landscape becoming more competitive and more companies ramping up promotions, fraudsters will see an appealing entry point to automate and scale their abuse to exploit loopholes.These fraudulent activities not only result in direct financial losses but also undermine the effectiveness of marketing strategies aimed at attracting genuine users and customers.

Practical Step: Set up validation thresholds to flag repeat usage patterns, such as unusually high redemptions or account resets tied to suspicious activity. Regularly audit loyalty programs and promotions to ensure their integrity without impacting legitimate users.

5. Accelerated Demand for Real-Time Detection as Attacks Increase in Speed

With automated fraud attacks on the rise, industries like ticketing face unprecedented challenges. In 2025, real-time detection will be essential to prevent bots from seizing high-demand tickets and driving up prices on secondary markets.

Major events, such as the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, have shown how quickly vulnerabilities can be exploited. Bot-driven attacks during such events often lead to sold-out tickets within moments, with resales at inflated prices that frustrate customers and damage brand reputation.

Spec’s ticketing solution provides platforms with the real-time, end-to-end visibility needed to counter these threats.The solution proved highly effective for a global theme park, where Spec eliminated chargebacks and reduced bot purchases, preserving millions in revenue and maintaining ticket availability for legitimate customers.

Fraud detection at this level also helps ensure a seamless experience, allowing real customers access without interruptions from fraud-driven delays or restrictions.

Quick Tip: To defend against bot-driven ticket fraud, employ a real-time detection system that can flag suspicious activity and validate transactions instantly so you can maintain control, prevent revenue loss, and safeguard brand reputation without disrupting customer flow.

6. Compliance-Driven Fraud Solutions to Counter Regulatory Exploitation

With new privacy and compliance regulations tightening globally, 2025 will bring heightened risks as companies work to balance data privacy and security. During transitions to meet standards like GDPR and PSD2, fraudsters often seize the opportunity to exploit temporary gaps, particularly when companies reduce data collection or monitoring.

For instance, an online retailer, in the process of updating its data practices to comply with new privacy laws, became vulnerable to fraudsters who quickly identified monitoring gaps. They exploited these weaknesses to create multiple fake accounts and abuse promotions, which went undetected due to the retailer’s compromised detection capabilities.

To navigate this evolving landscape, companies need fraud detection that works seamlessly within privacy-compliant frameworks, ensuring customer trust and operational security even during regulatory shifts. Advanced solutions, like Spec for eCommerce, that identify hidden fraud patterns and adapt to privacy standards can help retailers avoid becoming easy targets while upholding both security and compliance.

Best Practice: Conduct regular compliance audits and integrate privacy-compliant fraud detection workflows to address vulnerabilities that might emerge during regulatory changes.

Preparing for 2025 and Beyond

As fraud tactics continue to evolve, staying one step ahead requires proactive strategies that detect cross-channel patterns, identify synthetic identities, and respond in real time. By following these trends and staying alert to emerging fraud tactics, teams can help secure their organization and reduce fraud impact in the coming year.

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