---
title: Quarterly fraud report 2026: Catching today’s fraud while preparing for tomorrow’s schemes
source_page: https://www.sardine.ai/media/fraudology/episodes/quartlery-fraud-report-2026
canonical: https://www.sardine.ai/media/fraudology/episodes/quartlery-fraud-report-2026
format: text/markdown
date: 2026-07-23T08:40:00.000Z
description: The quarterly fraud report 2026 covering AI fraud, banking malware, account takeover, fraud-as-a-service, cybercrime trends, and fraud prevention…
---

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# Quarterly fraud report 2026: Catching today’s fraud while preparing for tomorrow’s schemes

**Published:** 2026-07-23T08:40:00.000Z

The quarterly fraud report 2026 covering AI fraud, banking malware, account takeover, fraud-as-a-service, cybercrime trends, and fraud prevention…

Welcome back to Fraudology.
Every once in a while I come across a report that makes me stop what I was planning to talk about because it's just that important. This is one of those weeks.
Matt Vega recently released his quarterly fraud report 2026, and after reading it, I knew we needed to break it down together. Not because it's predicting what might happen next year. Because every attack covered in this report is already happening.
One of the biggest themes running through the report is that fraud is simply moving faster than fraud teams are. AI is making sophisticated attacks cheaper, easier to launch, and much harder to detect. Criminals no longer need deep technical skills when they can rent the tools they need through fraud as a service marketplaces.
So what does that actually look like?
In this episode, I walk through several of the newest fraud tactics already showing up in the wild, including malware hidden behind fake unsubscribe links, banking malware that can piggyback on a customer's trusted device, and session hijacking techniques that make account takeover fraud incredibly difficult to detect using traditional fraud detection models.
At first glance, many of these attacks look legitimate. That's exactly the problem.
We also talk about why fraud teams can't rely on individual trust signals like device intelligence, IP reputation, or even behavioral analytics by themselves anymore. Criminals have learned how to blend into legitimate customer behavior, which means our approach to fraud detection and fraud prevention has to evolve too.
This is where things get interesting.
One of my biggest takeaways from Matt's report is that the answer isn't one new tool or one new model. It's layering better fraud intelligence, sharing information across consortium networks, and understanding the broader cybercrime trends happening outside your own organization. Because by the time a new attack reaches your queue, there's a good chance another company has already seen it.
I also spend a few minutes sharing an update on the Merchant Fraud Alliance conference, including our new AI bootcamp that's focused on practical ways fraud teams can start using AI in fraud prevention today. Not because AI replaces fraud analysts, but because it helps good teams move faster.
If you work in merchant fraud, banking fraud, online fraud, or e-commerce fraud, this is one of those episodes that will help you recognize the patterns before they become your next incident.
What you'll hear in this episode:
Why Matt Vega's quarterly fraud report 2026 is one of the most valuable fraud intelligence resources released this year.
How AI is accelerating modern cybercrime and making sophisticated attacks accessible through fraud-as-a-service platforms.
A breakdown of several emerging fraud tactics already targeting merchants and financial institutions.
How unsubscribe phishing campaigns are being used to install malware and keyloggers.
Why banking malware is becoming increasingly effective at bypassing traditional fraud controls.
How session hijacking enables criminals to perform account takeover fraud from trusted customer devices.
Why device intelligence, IP reputation, and behavioral analytics all need to be evaluated together instead of independently.
How fraud intelligence sharing and consortium data help organizations identify emerging threats faster.
An update on the Merchant Fraud Alliance conference and its new AI in fraud prevention bootcamp.
You should listen to this episode if you:
Lead fraud, risk, or trust & safety teams.
Manage fraud prevention for an ecommerce merchant, fintech, bank, or payments company.
Want to stay ahead of the latest cybercrime trends instead of reacting after attacks become widespread.
Are evaluating how AI is changing both fraud prevention and AI fraud.
Build or manage fraud detection models.
Investigate account takeover, synthetic identity, or online fraud.
Want practical fraud prevention best practices instead of theoretical discussions.
Rely on device intelligence, IP reputation, or behavioral analytics as part of your fraud strategy.
### Episode notes
Matt Vega's quarterly fraud report 2026
If you’ve listened to the podcast before, you know I’ve always appreciated the way Matt approaches fraud intelligence. He spends his time looking where most of us can’t. Monitoring criminal communities, following emerging techniques, and connecting patterns long before they become mainstream attacks. That perspective matters because fraud doesn’t arrive with a press release. It starts quietly, spreads quickly, and by the time most organizations recognize it, criminals have already moved on to the next tactic.
The report reinforces a growing reality: fraudsters no longer need advanced technical expertise to launch sophisticated attacks. AI-powered tools, rented malware, and fraud-as-a-service platforms have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry, allowing criminals to scale attacks faster than ever before.
The report isn’t full of predictions or hypothetical scenarios. These are active techniques already being used against financial institutions, merchants, and lenders today. The value isn’t just knowing they exist. It’s understanding how they work so you can recognize them before they become your next incident.
Three emerging fraud techniques
Let’s break down three attacks that really stood out to me.
AI-generated unsubscribe phishing campaigns that deliver keylogger malware.
Banking malware that disguises fraudulent activity by routing transactions through legitimate customer devices.
Session hijacking attacks that allow criminals to perform account takeover without triggering many traditional fraud detection signals.
Many of the signals we’ve traditionally relied on such as device intelligence, session history IP reputation, and behavioral consistency can all appear normal.
And that’s why these attacks deserve attention.
Modern fraud detection requires multiple layers of intelligence working together
A big theme running through Matt’s report is something I’ve talked about on this podcast for years. There is no single signal that’s going to save you. Attackers continue finding ways to mimic legitimate customer behavior. Criminals are increasingly finding ways to turn our strongest trust signals into weaknesses. They’re hijacking trusted sessions, borrowing legitimate devices, and using AI to automate attacks at a pace that individual companies simply can’t match.
The strongest fraud prevention programs don’t rely on one model or one rule. They combine multiple sources of intelligence, continuously validate trust signals, and look at the broader context instead of making decisions based on a single indicator.
Merchant Fraud Alliance Conference
A quick update on something I’m incredibly excited about. The Merchant Fraud Alliance Conference this October in Chicago will have one session I’m especially looking forward to.
Our AI Boot Camp isn’t going to be another conversation about whether AI matters. We already know it does. Instead, we’re focusing on something much more practical: how fraud teams can use AI in their day-to-day work.
We’ll be covering real prompts, real workflows, dashboards, reporting, investigations, and practical ways fraud professionals can use AI to become more effective.
Not to replace expertise, but to amplify it. That approach reflects the entire philosophy behind Merchant Fraud Alliance.
Everything on the agenda is designed to help fraud professionals leave with ideas they can immediately apply when they get back to work. And honestly, that's exactly the kind of conference I wish had existed years ago.
### Key takeaways
The quarterly fraud report 2026 focuses on real attacks already affecting organizations today. Not future predictions.
AI is making sophisticated fraud attacks faster, cheaper, and more accessible.
Fraud-as-a-service continues to accelerate the growth of organized cybercrime.
Banking malware and session hijacking increasingly exploit trusted customer devices to bypass traditional fraud detection.
Account takeover fraud is becoming more difficult to identify using individual trust signals alone.
Strong fraud detection models combine behavioral analytics, device intelligence, consortium data, and fraud intelligence.
Sharing fraud intelligence across organizations helps identify new attack patterns earlier.
Fraud teams should continuously monitor emerging cybercrime trends to improve detection and response.
### Final takeaway
The tools criminals are using continue to evolve, and many of the signals we've relied on for years are becoming easier to manipulate. That doesn't mean those signals have lost their value. It means they work best as part of a layered fraud prevention strategy rather than as standalone indicators.
For fraud fighters, staying informed is becoming just as important as improving detection. Reports like this help us recognize new attack patterns before they become widespread, giving us an opportunity to adapt instead of simply reacting.
Because at the end of the day, the goal isn't just catching today's fraud. It's preparing for tomorrow's.
Episode resources & links:
Connect with Karisse Hendrick | LinkedIn
Host of the Fraudology Podcast
Award-Winning Cyberfraud Expert
Ecommerce Fraud Prevention Consultant
Startup Advisor, Keynote Speaker, and
Consultant to Fortune 500 merchants