Rise of Synthetic Identity Fraud Due to Agentic AI in 2025

In 2025, synthetic identity fraud experienced a dramatic surge, largely linked to the emergence of agentic AI, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The Cybercrime Report, analyzing over 100 billion digital interactions, disclosed that 11% of fraud incidents were rooted in synthetic identities, representing an eightfold jump from the previous year.

Stephen Topliss, VP of Fraud and Identity at LexisNexis, emphasized that despite organizations reinforcing digital defenses, cybercriminals persistently evolve, leveraging AI technologies to exploit digital customer vulnerabilities. These fraudsters manufacture synthetic identities using stolen identity components over prolonged periods, facilitating long-term and sophisticated fraud schemes.

The report also underscored a notable increase in agentic commerce, particularly after Q1 2025. From an initial count of 1,000 events in January, this activity soared by 450% by year-end, predominantly affecting credit card transactions and activities on gaming and gambling platforms. Gaming sites observed a 76% uptick in global attack rates.

Bot attacks also escalated sharply, with a 59% rise in 2025. The ecommerce sector, in conjunction with gaming and gambling, saw attack volumes swell by 123% and 84%, respectively. In financial services, bot incidents doubled from the previous year, pointing to AI's potential role in these threats, though this remains under investigation.

LexisNexis reported that desktop browser channels experienced a 100% increase in attack rates, reaching 4.3%, while mobile app attacks fell sharply by 56%. This suggests that as mobile security investments grow, fraudsters might redirect their efforts to desktop platforms, exploiting vulnerabilities suitable for AI-driven attacks.