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AI fuels surge in global scams, financial frauds; Interpol creates new task force
Sextortion or sexual extortion is also increasingly being integrated into scams such as romance and investment fraud, often using AI-generated content and scripts
- PUBLISHED: Tue 17 Mar 2026, 3:47 PM
Artificial intelligence, global scam centres and criminal networks are driving a surge in financial fraud worldwide, with new tactics making scams faster, more profitable and harder to detect, according to a new report released by Interpol.
The 2026 Interpol Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment, launched on March 16, warns that fraud has become one of the fastest-growing forms of transnational crime and is increasingly linked to cybercrime, human trafficking and organised criminal networks.
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One of the report’s key findings is the growing role of artificial intelligence in fraud schemes. Interpol said AI-enhanced fraud is 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods, with “agentic AI” systems capable of autonomously planning and executing entire fraud campaigns, from reconnaissance to ransom demands.
The report also highlights the growing use of sextortion, which is increasingly being integrated into scams such as romance and investment fraud, often using scripts and AI-generated content.
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Criminal networks are also collaborating more closely with specialised money-laundering groups and sharing technology to scale up operations globally.
Once concentrated in specific regions, scam centres have now been identified worldwide, involving hundreds of thousands of individuals, many of whom are trafficked and forced to carry out online fraud.
The assessment also found that in parts of Africa, terrorist groups are using fraud schemes, particularly crypto-based scams, as a source of funding.
Despite the growing threat, Interpol said international law-enforcement cooperation is improving.
Since 2024, the number of fraud-related Interpol Notices and Diffusions has increased by 54 per cent. Over the same period, Interpol supported member countries in more than 1,500 transnational fraud cases involving lost assets worth $1.1 billion.
“Enabled by artificial intelligence, low-cost digital tools and increased global criminal collaboration, we are witnessing the industrialization of fraud,” said Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza.
“It is vital to remember that the cost of financial crime is not just money, it is people’s life savings, their dignity, and in the worst case, their life.”
International task force
To tackle the growing problem, Interpol announced the launch of Operation Shadow Storm, a new international task force funded by the UK Home Office aimed at targeting scam centres and the financial networks behind them.
The task force will use tools designed to freeze fraudulent transactions, while also investigating links between fraud, cybercrime and human trafficking.
Interpol is also issuing new guidelines on establishing national anti-scam centres to help countries detect, disrupt and dismantle scam networks.
The report was released at the Global Fraud Summit, jointly organised by Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The event brought together over 1,300 participants, including government officials, law-enforcement agencies, technology companies and civil society groups.
