North America Sees Major Spike in Synthetic Document Fraud and Deepfake-Related Attacks

Strategic Insights -

The U.S. and its neighboring countries are grappling with a significant increase in AI-enabled identity fraud, particularly in e-commerce, edtech, and healthtech sectors. According to a report by Sumsub, a global leader in verification, synthetic identity document fraud has surged by over 300% in North America, with deepfake-related attacks jumping by 1100%. This rise in AI-powered fraud threatens the integrity of digital transactions and raises concerns about the misuse of generative AI.

Key Takeaways:

  • Synthetic identity document fraud spiked by 311% in North America compared to Q1 2024, making it the region's most alarming growth vector.
  • Deepfake fraud jumped by 1100% in North America, marking a clear signal that generative AI is being used to bypass facial recognition and biometric checks.
  • High fraud activity was recorded in e-commerce, healthtech, and edtech industries, which have seen accelerated digitization post-pandemic.
  • The U.S. in particular saw a sharp increase in fintech fraud attempts, underscoring the need for real-time, multi-layered fraud prevention solutions.
  • Synthetic identity document fraud is rising across all regions, driven by the widespread availability of GenAI tools that can generate highly realistic fake IDs.
  • Top markets for synthetic identity document fraud include Ethiopia (2.17%), Pakistan (2.08%), and Nigeria (1.52%).
  • Deepfake-related attacks are growing globally, particularly to bypass biometric systems-now one of the fastest-evolving fraud vectors.

Statistics:

  • Synthetic identity document fraud spiked by 311% in North America compared to Q1 2024.
  • Deepfake fraud jumped by 1100% in North America.
  • Healthtech fraud attempts rose by 384%, signaling its emergence as a high-value target alongside fintech and e-commerce.
  • Regional deepfake fraud surges include:

+ Canada: 3,400%

+ Hong Kong: 1,900%

+ Singapore: 1,500%

+ Mainland China: 1,183%

+ Germany: 1,100%

+ United Kingdom: 900%

+ United States: 700%

Sources:

  • Sumsub's Q1 2025 identity fraud trends report, internal data
  • "Sumsub Reports Dramatic Rise in AI-Enabled Fraud Across U.S." (PRNewswire, June 12, 2025)
  • "Sumsub: Q1 2025 Identity Fraud Trends" (Sumsub, Q1 2025)