Canadian Business Leaders Say Fraud Cost Their Businesses 7.2% of Equivalent Revenues; Synthetic Identity Fraud Losses Surge – TransUnion Study

TransUnion’s latest study reveals 200 Canadian business leaders surveyed said their companies lost an estimated CAD$111 billion to fraud in the past year, with synthetic identity scams now accounting for over a quarter of those losses.

More than a tenth of both online communities and gambling transactions coming from Canada were suspected of digital fraud in the first half (H1)¹ of 2025 – with online communities experiencing a 68% year-over-year (YoY) increase in the volume of attempts.

Key Study Findings:

• Fraud losses in a year for companies of 200 Canadian business leaders surveyed increased 42% from 2024 to 2025 from $78 billion to $111 billion up 42%).
• Scams remained the leading cause of financial losses according to those surveyed, accounting for 29% of them.
• 60% of Canadian business leaders reported their customers have been victimized by fraudsters impersonating their brand in an email.
• 48% said their customers were victimized by fraudsters spoofing their business’ phone number or name on caller ID in the past year.
• Online communities (forums and dating platforms) saw the highest YoY increase in the number of suspected digital fraud attempts in Canada among all industries analyzed, climbing 68%.
• Despite financial losses from fraud increasing according to business leaders surveyed, suspected digital fraud attempts for transactions where the consumer was in Canada declined from 5.4% in H1 2024 to 4.2% in H1 2025.

TORONTO, Oct. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the newly-released H2 2025 Update to the Top Fraud Trends Report from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU), Canadian business leaders said their companies lost the equivalent of 7.2% of revenues to fraud over the past year – totalling CAD$111 billion, up from CAD$78 billion in 2024. Findings in that survey also determined there is a significant concern over spoofing scams, with 48% of Canadian business leaders saying their customers were victimized by fraudsters spoofing their business’ phone number or name on caller ID in the past year, and 60% citing fake emails impersonating their brand. This comes despite a decline in the rate of suspected digital fraud² for attempted transactions where the consumer was in Canada. According to TransUnion’s global intelligence network, this fell from 5.4% in H1 2024 to 4.2% in H1 2025. This is higher than the overall global rate that dropped from 4.8% to 3.8% during that period. The study highlights the technologies Canadian organizations consider most effective in combating fraud, including identity verification, device reputation, and behavioral biometrics.

“The overall decline in suspected digital fraud rates is encouraging, but Canadian businesses continue to report significant financial losses,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada. “While both Canadian consumers and businesses are benefiting by enhanced security measures and increased awareness of what fraud looks like, vigilance remains the first line of defense to stop a fraudster in their tracks. As security measures evolve, so do the tactics fraudsters use. Even the smallest improvement in fraud detection can significantly reduce the risk of fraud-related losses.”

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¹ The first half or H1 is from January 1 to June 30
² The rate or percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts reflects those which TransUnion customers determined met one of the following conditions: 1) denial in real time due to fraudulent indicators, 2) denial in real time for corporate policy violations, 3) fraudulent upon customer investigation, or 4) a corporate policy violation upon customer investigation — compared to all transactions assessed. The country and regional analyses examined transactions in which the consumer or suspected fraudster was located in a select country or region when conducting a transaction. Global statistics represents every country worldwide and not just the select countries and regions.

Major Business Losses Driven by Scams and Synthetic Identity Fraud
Scams and authorized fraud (schemes designed to trick a person into giving up something of value, such as account access or personal information) is a leading cause of business losses in Canada according to the survey of business leaders, accounting for 29% of reported losses. However, another fraud type is rising: Synthetic identity fraud (which involves using a combination of real and fabricated personal information to create a fake identity) has skyrocketed to 26% of total fraud losses according to the survey, up from 18% in 2024. This marks the largest YoY increase of any fraud type in Canada, surpassing the percentage in all other markets surveyed.

Other prominent causes of reported fraud losses include:

• Account takeover (unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account, i.e., bank, social media, email, without their permission) – 16%
• First-party fraud (identity misrepresentation or falsifying information for the purpose of financial gain) – 15%
• Third-party fraud (the use of stolen identity to open an account) – 13%
  

Canadian Business Leaders Highlight the Fraud Mitigation Tactics They Find Most Effective
Canadian business leaders report relying heavily on a mix of technology tools to help mitigate fraud, balancing the need for security while also looking to minimize the impact on customer friction.

The fraud mitigation tactics found to be most effective by Canadian business leaders include:

• Identity verification (confirming authenticity of consumer-provided information): 53%
• Device reputation (identifies a device using a combination of attributes provided by the device configuration; reputation identifies any fraud history associated with the device): 46%
• Email reputation (email attributes that may signal fraud such as validity, how long in use, how active, where seen on the internet): 42%
• Behavioral biometrics (identifies physical and behavioral interaction patterns typically associated with fraud, i.e., typing behavior): 42%
• IP intelligence (the use of internet protocol (IP) addresses to detect cyber threats or other suspicious activity): 40%
• Synthetic identity detection (data analysis to flag the potential that an identity is synthetic): 40%
• Phone number reputation (phone number attributes that may signal fraud such as type of phone, fraud history, identity linked to it): 39%
  

“Fraud mitigation measures are essential to ensuring that Canadians are confidently able to transact online,” added Boudreau. “New and evolving sophisticated forms of fraud are, sadly, a reality in today’s digitally connected world, and staying ahead requires an industry-wide approach leveraging the right mix of advanced tools and collaboration.”

Online Communities Increasingly Targeted by Fraudsters, Putting Canadians at Risk
Online communities like forums and dating apps saw the biggest increase in the number of suspected digital fraud attempts across all industries analyzed in H1 2025 for transactions where the consumer was in Canada, rising 68% year-over-year to a rate of 11.4%. Gambling (online betting sites) followed closely, with a suspected digital fraud attempt rate in Canada of 10.9% and a 16% year-over-year volume increase.

This shows how fraudsters are increasingly exploiting socially driven platforms, where trust and engagement are high. In contrast, traditional sectors such as financial services (2.1% H1 2025 suspected digital fraud rate in Canada with the volume of suspected digital fraud decreasing 40% YoY) and insurance (2% rate, volume decreasing 27%) have seen significant declines in the number of suspected digital fraud attempts. This could largely be due to stronger security protocols and more robust identity verification systems in these sectors.

Source: TransUnion global intelligence network

Canadians Continue to Have High Fraud Awareness, but Many Don’t Know Which Actions to Take
A separate survey of 982 Canadian consumers found that while 46% said they were targeted with email, online, phone call or text messaging fraud attempts from February to May 2025, only 6% reported falling victim, slightly below the global average of 9%. This indicates that Canadians continue to have a high level of awareness for spotting fraud attempts. However, that same survey found many Canadians are not taking steps to mitigate fraud concerns. The Q2 2025 Consumer Pulse Report revealed that nearly four in ten (37%) said they took no action in the last 60 days due to cybersecurity concerns. Many of these individuals (44%) said they didn’t do so because they didn’t know which actions to take.

“When someone falls victim to digital fraud, it’s important to take the necessary steps to mitigate any losses and prevent additional fraud from occurring,” added Boudreau. “Reporting suspected fraud to your bank or credit card company could help lessen the personal impact of the fraud. Additionally, taking proactive measures like changing passwords on all online accounts is essential to preventing fraudsters from accessing any additional data for funds. Finally, consumers should also notify credit bureaus when they suspect they have been a victim of fraud in order to have a fraud alert placed on their file.”

TransUnion came to its conclusions about digital fraud and data breaches based on intelligence from its array of TransUnion fraud prevention solutions. To learn more about how TransUnion fraud prevention solutions can help businesses avoid fraud and prevent fraud losses, click here.

Specific country and regional data in the report includes the United States, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and Zambia. Download the TransUnion H2 2025 Update to the Top Fraud Trends Report for more information and insights about the global fraud trends.

About TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries, including Canada, where we’re the credit bureau of choice for the financial services ecosystem and most of Canada’s largest banks. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this by providing an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care.

Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world.

For more information visit: transunion.ca

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