Key Takeaway
Simon Horswell, Senior Fraud Specialist Manager at Entrust, highlights the evolving nature of fraud rings, which are becoming more organized and sophisticated due to generative AI. Identity protection is crucial in combating these adaptive threats. Digital injection attacks, including deepfakes, are increasingly used to spoof authentication systems, making detection difficult. The Entrust 2026 Identity Fraud Report notes a 58% rise in deepfake selfies in 2025. The cryptocurrency sector faces the highest onboarding fraud at 67%, while account takeover fraud dominates in payment and banking sectors, accounting for 82% of fraudulent activities.
“As detection improves, fraud rings adapt, becoming faster, more organized, and commercially motivated,” states Simon Horswell, Senior Fraud Specialist Manager at Entrust.
“Generative AI and shared tactics increase both the volume and sophistication of attacks, targeting individuals, credentials, and systems.
“Identity has become the frontline, and safeguarding it with trusted, verified identity throughout the customer lifecycle is crucial for staying ahead of evolving threats.”
What are digital injection attacks?
Digital injection attacks are an escalating threat designed to spoof authentication systems and circumvent biometric verification by injecting manipulated images or videos directly into the data stream, often utilizing deepfakes or replay attacks.
These attacks can convincingly replicate not just static documents but also live-capture experiences, making detection particularly difficult.
According to the Entrust 2026 Identity Fraud Report, the use of deepfake selfies rose by 58% in 2025.
Criminals employ various tactics to bypass security, including images of screens or printouts, 2D and 3D masks, videos of videos displayed on screens, and videos of photos shown on screens.
Which industries are affected by cyber fraud the most?
The report indicates that the cryptocurrency sector, which offers sign-up bonuses, faces the highest rate of onboarding fraud attempts, reaching 67%.
In contrast, the payment and banking sectors experience a dominance of account takeover (ATO) fraud, accounting for a staggering 82% of all fraudulent activity.
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