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

Summit Wealth exits Commonwealth prior to LPL buyout to become RIA
Summit Wealth exits Commonwealth prior to LPL buyout to become RIA

As Commonwealth advisors weigh their futures following the firm’s sale, Summit Wealth Group is charting its own course as an independent RIA with $2.1 billion in assets, moving to SEI's custodian platform.

12 of the best low-risk investments for preserving capital and decent returns
12 of the best low-risk investments for preserving capital and decent returns

In today's volatile market, low-risk investments are more essential than ever. Uncover proven strategies U.S. advisors use to preserve capital and deliver steady returns.

UBS, as expected, losing financial advisors in the US; headcount drops 3.2% YoY
UBS, as expected, losing financial advisors in the US; headcount drops 3.2% YoY

Toward the end of last year, UBS said it was redrawing its pay plan for advisors, but “every time one of the big firms like UBS tinkers with the advisors’ compensation, some of them say, that’s it, that’s the last straw,” recruiter Danny Sarch said.

Investment performance takes a back seat to the human touch
Investment performance takes a back seat to the human touch

Clients care less about returns than you might think.

The evolution of private credit
The evolution of private credit

From direct lending to asset-based finance to commercial real estate debt.

SPONSORED The evolution of private credit

From direct lending to asset-based finance to commercial real estate debt.

SPONSORED Compliance in real time: Technology's expanding role in RIA oversight

RIAs face rising regulatory pressure in 2025. Forward-looking firms are responding with embedded technology, not more paperwork.