WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new Interpol report has warned against an increasingly sophisticated global financial fraud threat.
Financial fraud is now one of the world's most severe and rapidly evolving transnational crimes, with significant economic and human consequences.
The 2026 Interpol Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment warns that with increased global criminal collaboration, fraud is no longer a peripheral threat, it is at the centre of polycriminality, intersecting with organized crime, human trafficking and cybercrime.
One of the key findings of the report is that AI-enhanced fraud is 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods. 'Agentic AI' systems can autonomously plan and execute complete fraud campaigns - from reconnaissance to ransom demands.
Sextortion is now being systematically integrated into scams such as romance and investment fraud often using scripts and AI-generated content, the report says.
Criminal networks are increasingly collaborating with specialized money laundering groups and sharing expertise and technology to scale up their operations globally.
In parts of Africa, terrorist groups have been found to use fraud schemes, especially crypto-based scams, as a source of funding, according to the report.
Once a regional phenomenon, scam centres have now been identified worldwide, involving hundreds of thousands of individuals, many of whom are trafficked and forced to carry out online fraud.
However, the report also found that law enforcement authorities are collaborating more effectively.
Since 2024, the number of fraud-related Interpol Notices and Diffusions has increased by 54 per cent. Over the same period, Interpol supported member countries in more than 1,500 transnational fraud cases in lost assets valued at $1.1 billion.
Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said, 'Enabled by artificial intelligence, low-cost digital tools and increased global criminal collaboration, we are witnessing the industrialization of fraud.'
'It is vital to remember that the cost of financial crime is not just money - it is people's life savings, their dignity, and in the worst case, their life.'
'Strengthening cooperation between law enforcement, the private sector and raising public awareness is key in tackling this global security threat.'
As highlighted in the threat assessment, scam centres are growing in number and scale, targeting ever greater numbers of victims.
Although these operations are regularly shut down, the criminal leaders behind them remain hard to identify, using intermediaries and shell companies to hide their tracks and avoid detection.
Interpol announced that to close this critical gap, it is launching Operation Shadow Storm, a new international task force funded by the United Kingdom's Home Office as part of a unified, data-driven response.
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