FICO Survey Finds Canadians Increasingly Justify First-Party Fraud Amid Rising Inflation Rates

Canadians are committing fraud to gain credit during cost-of-living crisis

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FICO (NYSE: FICO)

Global analytics software leader, FICO released new findings from the 2025 Consumer Survey: Fraud, Identity and Digital Banking CA highlighting Canadians’ experiences with application fraud and their perceptions of how well banks are meeting their needs. The survey found that nearly one-third of respondents view first-party fraud—such as providing false information on financial applications—as acceptable in certain circumstances or even normal behavior. Many respondents cited the ongoing cost-of-living crisis as justification.

As inflation continues to stretch household budgets, some consumers may be more likely to falsify application details in pursuit of credit. This poses an ongoing challenge for banks, which must detect fraud without adding unnecessary friction for legitimate applicants. Strengthening fraud prevention strategies while preserving trust and accessibility will be key to meeting evolving customer expectations.

Identity verification is a crucial balancing act for banks

As more Canadians embrace digital banking, their expectations for more efficient and secure experiences are rising. According to the survey, 31% are now more likely to open a financial account online than they were a year ago. At the same time, many reported noticing an increase in identity verification checks. Nearly half (49%) reported experiencing more frequent checks during online purchases, and the same (49%) while logging into bank accounts. While these measures are important for security, they can also create friction: 15% of consumers have reduced or stopped using their checking accounts, and 17% have done the same with credit cards due to the difficulty of identity checks—slightly higher than in 2023. These trends suggest the importance of striking a balance. While security remains a top priority, banks also need to ensure that digital processes remain user-friendly and accessible to keep customers engaged.

“Canadians are demanding seamless digital banking and verification processes,” said Adam Davies, vice president of product management at FICO. “Nearly 20% of consumers will abandon a checking account if identity checks are too difficult or time-consuming. Banks must continue to make opening processes convenient and secure to attract new customers and build trust.”

Rising demand for banks to offer digital new account openings

32% of Canadians say they are more likely to open a financial account digitally than they were a year ago. Across several product types, expectations for speed are high, over 40% of personal loan, credit card, and card loan applicants expect to spend less than 30 minutes opening a checking account. If the application process is too long and difficult, Canadians will abandon the application. These insights re-emphasize the needs for banks to optimize onboarding journeys to retain applicants and reduce abandonment rates.

Consumers are concerned with fraud and identity theft

Canadians continue to place high value on security. The survey found that 30% of consumers rank good fraud protection as one of the top three considerations when selecting a new account, while 71% rank it in their top three. Fingerprints and facial recognition were marked as a favorite security choice as 62% of consumers report that they either like or have a strong preference to use fingerprints, with 81% rating their security as good or excellent.

At the same time, Canadians are seeing a rise in stolen identities. 6% of Canadians reported their stolen identity was used by a criminal to open a financial account—equating to approximately 1.8 million victims and marking an increase from 5% in 2023 and 5.6% in 2020. Despite the rising risk, many Canadians underestimate their personal exposure. While 71% of consumers rank the use of stolen identity to open an account as a top three fraud concern, 40% believe it’s unlikely to have happened to them, and 23% are confident their identity has never been used this way. This disconnect between concern about identity theft and personal risk perception suggests many Canadians may be unaware they’ve already been affected or that they are currently at risk.

For more details and insights regarding the survey results, download the 2025 Consumer Survey: Fraud, Identity and Digital Banking CA eBook. This survey was issued to 1,000 Canadian bank customers across age and income demographics.

For more information on how FICO can help financial services organizations exceed customer needs and expectations, visit https://www.fico.com/en/fico-platform.

About FICO

FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 80 countries do everything from protecting four billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO® Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency.

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