INTERPOL has warned that financial fraud is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most serious transnational crimes, driven by advances in Artificial Intelligence and increasingly sophisticated global criminal networks.
The warning is contained in its 2026 Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment unveiled at the Global Fraud Summit.
According to the report released on Monday, fraud is no longer a peripheral criminal activity but has become central to what investigators describe as “polycriminality”, a system in which multiple forms of organised crime operate together.
The organization say fraud schemes are now closely connected to other crimes such as cybercrime, human trafficking and organised criminal networks.
The report highlights the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence in enabling criminals to design and execute complex fraud operations.
Investigators say that so-called “agentic AI” systems are capable of autonomously planning entire fraud campaigns, from identifying potential victims to generating persuasive messages and issuing ransom demands.
The assessment estimates that AI-enhanced fraud operations are approximately 4.5 times more profitable than traditional fraud methods, largely because automation allows criminals to target thousands of victims simultaneously.
Another emerging trend identified in the report is the growing integration of sextortion into existing scam models.
Criminal groups are now systematically incorporating sextortion into romance scams and investment fraud schemes, often using scripted conversations and AI-generated images or messages to manipulate victims emotionally.
It says these tactics increase the pressure on victims to pay money in order to avoid embarrassment or exposure.
The report also warns that criminal networks are increasingly collaborating with specialised money-laundering groups that provide services designed to hide and move illicit funds.
These groups use shell companies, cryptocurrency transactions and complex financial networks to obscure the origins of stolen money and make investigations more difficult.
In addition, investigators have identified evidence that in parts of Africa some terrorist organisations are using fraud schemes, particularly cryptocurrency scams, as a source of funding.
Another major concern raised by the assessment is the rapid expansion of large-scale scam centres.
Once considered a regional phenomenon, these operations have now been identified in several parts of the world.
Some scam centres involve hundreds or even thousands of individuals working in organised facilities dedicated to online fraud.
Authorities say many of the individuals working in these centres are victims themselves, having been trafficked or coerced into carrying out scams targeting victims globally.
Despite the growing scale of the problem, the report highlights signs of increased cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
Since 2024, the number of fraud-related INTERPOL notices and diffusions has risen by 54 percent, reflecting stronger information sharing between countries.
Over the same period, INTERPOL has supported member states in more than 1,500 transnational fraud investigations, helping recover stolen assets worth approximately Sh142 billion.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said the scale and complexity of modern fraud requires a coordinated global response.
“Enabled by Artificial Intelligence, low-cost digital tools and increased global criminal collaboration, we are witnessing the industrialisation of fraud,” he said.
He added that the human cost of financial crime is often overlooked.
“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.”
To strengthen international efforts against fraud networks, INTERPOL has announced the launch of Operation Shadow Storm, a new international task force designed to target the financial infrastructure behind scam operations.
The initiative is funded by the UK Home Office and will use INTERPOL’s global policing network along with digital tools such as I-GRIP, a system that can stop fraudulent payments before they are processed.
The operation will focus not only on financial fraud but also on related crimes including cybercrime and human trafficking linked to forced criminal activity.
At the same time, INTERPOL has issued new guidelines to help countries establish National Anti-Scam Centres, outlining best practices for detecting, disrupting and dismantling fraud networks.
The Global Fraud Summit, jointly organised by INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, has brought together more than 1,300 participants from governments, law enforcement agencies, technology companies and civil society organisations.
Participants are examining ways to strengthen international cooperation and disrupt the complex criminal systems that allow large-scale fraud operations to flourish.