AI-enabled identity fraud is rising as criminals increasingly target social media platforms in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election. Recent findings from AU10TIX’s Q3 2024 Global Identity Fraud Report show a 28% surge in social media-based fraud attacks, up from just 3% earlier this year.
This concerning trend underscores the evolving sophistication of fraud tactics, particularly as AI-generated bots and deepfake technology are employed to manipulate public discourse and exploit weak points in verification systems.
AI-Driven Fraud
The explosive growth in fraud, particularly on social media, is rooted in the ability of AI to industrialize identity theft. Fraudsters are using automated tools to create thousands of fake accounts, many employing advanced generative AI elements to evade detection.
These attacks have reached new heights, with September marking a peak in fraudulent activity. According to the report, some of these fraudulent accounts even spread disinformation ahead of the election, adding a dangerous dimension to online interactions.
The Q3 2024 report highlights a sharp increase in fraud attempts aimed at social media platforms, particularly those that incorporate deepfake technologies.
Fraudsters now create entirely synthetic selfies to match fake identities, bypassing traditional verification methods with ease. These deepfake "selfies" are now sophisticated enough to outsmart many automated Know Your Customer systems.
Fraudsters vs. Security Systems
The growing use of AI in fraud is creating an arms race between criminals and companies. AI-driven bots can now launch large-scale attacks, and the rise in synthetic selfies, completely fabricated using deepfake technology, is a direct response to increasingly sophisticated security measures. While AI-powered fraud tools help fraudsters stay ahead, businesses must adopt equally advanced AI solutions to defend themselves.
Traditional document verification is no longer enough. Companies need to analyze user behavior and traffic to spot abnormal patterns and detect fraud. Interestingly, while social media fraud spiked in Q3, fraud in the payments sector saw a significant drop from 52% in Q2 to 39% in Q3.
AU10TIX attributes this decline to self-regulation efforts and law enforcement action, though it notes that criminals are shifting their focus to less regulated markets like cryptocurrency, which accounted for 31% of all fraud attacks in the third quarter.
Despite these challenges, the payments industry has reportedly made notable progress in reducing fraud, but crypto remains a growing target.
