New Experian Report Reveals AI Trust Gap as Consumers Embrace AI but Resist High-stakes Decisions

Nearly 1 in 5 people experienced online fraud losses, while 80% of businesses are using AI to combat emerging threats

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Experian®, a global data and technology company, today released its 11th annual Identity and Fraud Report, highlighting how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the digital economy while simultaneously creating new opportunities for fraud. The findings point to a growing challenge for businesses: building trust in an economy where both people and AI agents are increasingly participating in digital transactions.

The report found 31% of consumers have already used AI tools to shop and transact online, and another 23% would consider doing so. However, confidence drops sharply for higher-stakes decisions with just 21% comfortable relying on AI for completing travel-related purchases and only 17% for financial services decisions. Meanwhile, more than half of people say they’re concerned about AI-enabled scams, underscoring the trust challenges that could shape the next phase of AI adoption.

“AI is transforming digital interactions in ways that are creating both exciting opportunities and new risks,” said Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer at Experian. “As we move toward a human-not-present era where consumers increasingly rely on AI to help make decisions on their behalf, the organizations that will succeed will be the ones that make trust visible. Establishing identity and trust, whether for a person or an AI agent, is essential to every digital interaction.”

Fraud losses continue to climb

Consumers reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025, up 27% from the previous year, according to the FTC. The actual losses are likely much higher as many fraud cases go unreported. Experian’s research found that nearly 1 in 5 people suffered personal financial losses from online fraud in the past year, and another 15% say fraud was attempted but prevented. Seventy-two percent of victims say the experience left them feeling more vulnerable online. Phishing scams were the most common consumer fraud incident reported (26%), followed by fake advertising (19%), package delivery scams (16%), credit card theft (16%), unauthorized charges (15%) and fraudulent bank transactions (15%).

Businesses are feeling the impact as well, with 60% reporting fraud losses are somewhat or significantly higher than previous years, and 77% expect fraud management budgets to increase.

AI creates both opportunity and risk

Companies identify AI-generated phishing attacks as their leading AI-related fraud concern (53%), followed by AI-assisted first-party fraud (51%), document forgery (45%), automated bot attacks (40%) and deepfake voice scams (37%).

To combat these threats, businesses are rapidly adopting AI to strengthen defenses. Eighty percent of organizations report using machine learning or generative AI within fraud management environments to help identify suspicious activity, improve identity verification and enhance fraud detection capabilities.

Identity and security remain critical to trust

As digital interactions become more automated, consumers expect both security and convenience. Seventy-one percent say it’s important for businesses to accurately recognize them online, while nearly 50% report greater trust in organizations that can do so without requiring repeated authentication. In addition, 84% say they’re willing to complete additional security steps when needed to prevent fraud.

The findings suggest trust is becoming a competitive differentiator in an AI-driven marketplace. As AI agents play a larger role in digital transactions, companies need trusted ways to verify both the consumer and the digital agent acting on their behalf. To address this challenge, Experian recently launched Experian Agent Trust™, extending its expertise in identity and fraud prevention to help verify not only the person, but also the AI agent acting on their behalf.

Experian’s identity verification and fraud prevention solutions helped clients avoid an estimated $19 billion in fraud losses globally in 2025. To learn more, watch Experian’s 2026 Fraud Trends: Navigating AI and the Future of Digital Trust webinar here.

Methodology: Experian’s Identity and Fraud Report is based on two major surveys conducted in the U.S. with HarrisX in April 2026. The first asked more than 2,000 U.S. consumers about their online interactions and expectations regarding security and customer experience. The second survey asked more than 200 businesses in the U.S. about their strategies for effective fraud management, customer identification and authentication, including investments related to security and customer experience. Companies ranged in size from $10 million to above $1 billion in revenue.

About Experian

Experian is a global data and technology company, powering opportunities for people and businesses around the world. We help to redefine lending practices, uncover and prevent fraud, simplify healthcare, deliver digital marketing solutions, and gain deeper insights into the automotive market, all using our unique combination of data, analytics and platforms. We also assist millions of people to realize their financial goals and help them to save time and money.

We operate across a range of markets, from financial services to healthcare, automotive, agrifinance, insurance, and many more industry segments.

We invest in talented people and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data and to innovate. A FTSE 100 Index company listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN), we have a team of 25,200 people across 33 countries. Our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. Learn more at experianplc.com.