Cybercrime on the rise as account takeovers become leading method

Cybercrime on the rise as account takeovers become leading method
Clients must ensure that all accounts are secure amid surging fraud.
MAY 22, 2024

Cybercriminals are becoming more prolific and evolving their methods of committing fraud, necessitating robust defensive action from consumers.

Third-party account takeovers have emerged as the leading type of fraud reported by clients in 2023, according to the newly published LexisNexis Risk Solutions Cybercrime Report. Almost three in ten of the cyber frauds reported involved the account login stage and attacks at this stage were up 18% year-over-year.

Bot-initiated attacks maintained a steady 2% year-over-year growth to reach 3.6 billion as increasingly successful detection and prevention of these attacks has limited their growth, but human-initiated attacks surged by 40% in volume to 1.3 billion.

North America is a key target for cybercriminals and ecommerce transactions are where significant vulnerability lies.

“Cybercriminals continue to increase the scale and complexity of their illegal operations, with dedicated scam centers becoming a permanent fixture to mount digital attacks on consumers worldwide,” said Stephen Topliss, vice president of fraud and identity, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “While these scam centers will continue to drive the threat of human-initiated attacks, organizations cannot afford to be complacent about the growing sophistication of bots, which can display more human-like behavior to evade traditional prevention solutions. By focusing on identifying advanced bots in real time, businesses can mitigate their ability to create fraudulent accounts or test stolen login credentials for future account takeover attacks.”

Latest News

Warren and Wyden press FINRA on ACATS transfer fraud gap
Warren and Wyden press FINRA on ACATS transfer fraud gap

Senators say brokerages leave accounts exposed to fraudulent transfers without verification, intensifying pressure as FINRA weighs its own fraud-hold rule

Forbes advisor list update: Morgan Stanley drops it, owner says changes are coming
Forbes advisor list update: Morgan Stanley drops it, owner says changes are coming

Meanwhile, the founder of advisor list gives reasons for secret $6 million payment to editor.

U.S. Bank names chief private banking officer for wealth unit
U.S. Bank names chief private banking officer for wealth unit

Internal C-level promotion comes as US Bank builds out private banking, athlete-focused advice and alternatives infrastructure.

Why planning is the only strategy that holds in every market
Why planning is the only strategy that holds in every market

A structured financial plan doesn't just prepare clients for the future, it transforms how they respond to the present.

Gemini, Apex deal reflects prediction markets move towards mainstream retail investing
Gemini, Apex deal reflects prediction markets move towards mainstream retail investing

Regulated prediction markets for retail brokerage clients is the latest sign that prediction markets are entering the mainstream investing toolkit.

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income