Identity hijacking consumes 84% of all APAC fraud cases, survey finds

Sumsub says 69% of APAC firms faced fraud in 2025, whilst 88% expect more AI-driven attacks.

Fraud across Asia-Pacific is shifting from opportunistic cash theft to more complex identity takeovers, as criminals target longer-term access and higher-value gains, according to Sumsub’s Fraud Exposure Survey 2025 for the region.

The identity verification firm said 84% of fraud cases in APAC now involve account control on social media platforms and government portals.

Sumsub described this as a move away from “quick money grabs” towards more planned and resource-intensive attacks, enabled by AI-driven tools and fraud-as-a-service models.

On the consumer side, the survey found that 53% of respondents in APAC experienced fraud in 2025. Phishing was cited as the most common entry point, affecting 61% of victims, followed by weak passwords at 30%.

More than half of consumers, or 56%, said they had encountered or possibly encountered deepfakes online.

Among reported outcomes, social media account takeovers were the most common, cited by 69% of affected consumers. This was followed by stolen funds at 34%, being tricked into sending money at 24%, and compromised government portal accounts at 15%.

The survey also found that 89% of consumers would prefer service providers with strong anti-fraud protections.

Businesses reported similarly high exposure. Sumsub said 69% of APAC companies surveyed faced fraud incidents in 2025.

The most common first-party fraud types cited were synthetic identity fraud and chargeback abuse, each reported by 64% of firms. Deepfakes used to bypass verification and application fraud were each cited by 46%.

For third-party attacks, identity theft was the most frequently reported issue, affecting 73% of businesses, followed by card testing at 46%.

Account takeover and bot-driven attacks were each cited by 37% of respondents. According to the survey, companies that fail to protect consumers face risks, including financial losses, cited by 64% of businesses, and customer churn, cited by 55%.

Sumsub said businesses expect fraud risks to intensify, with 88% anticipating an increase in AI-driven fraud and 55% expecting more organised attempts. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 63%, said they support stricter regulation.