2026 Fraud Report

Discover:

  • Why credit fraud is suddenly outpacing non-credit categories, reversing a three-year trend.
  • How rising financial pressure is driving a 90.9% surge in money muling and leaving Australians more vulnerable to scams.
  • Why loan manipulation has accelerated to 31.6% of all reported fraud.
  • Why niche threats like synthetic identities and bust-outs surged by an aggressive 96.5%.
Download our latest fraud report

Why is the industry seeing a shift back to credit product fraud?

After three years where non-credit products dominated, our 2026 Fraud Report shows the volume of credit fraud increase by 11.1%.This change is partly influenced by a rise in overall credit demand as more Australians seek to manage financial gaps. Because credit products involve unrecovered principal, they represent a more immediate and direct financial risk for organisations.

What is contributing to the significant rise in money mule activity?

Money mule listings grew by a massive 90.9% as criminal networks take advantage of rising economic and social pressures. As financial institutions deploy better systems to block suspicious payments, criminals are being forced to open a higher volume of disposable mule accounts to circumvent these controls.

How is technology influencing first-party fraud trends?

First-party fraud – where a genuine applicant provides false information – grew by 25.5% in volume last year. The accessibility of GenAI tools has lowered the barrier for individuals to create high-quality, falsified documents like payslips, potentially reducing the need for external criminal assistance.

How can Equifax help protect against fraud?

With a decades-long track record of supporting Australia’s leading institutions, Equifax provides the deep expertise and proven data intelligence needed to stay ahead of evolving fraud threats. While our Known Fraud Exchange members prevented $1.5 billion in fraud last year through collaborative intelligence, we offer a full suite of 24/7 solutions including identity verification, biometrics, PEP and Sanctions screening and payments fraud defence. Partnering with Equifax can help you streamline onboarding, identify threats earlier, and acquire good customers with minimal friction.

Your Partner in Fraud Prevention and Digital Trust

Your Partner in Fraud Prevention and Digital Trust

As a key partner with a unique view of Australia’s digital landscape, Equifax builds the trust that allows businesses and government to prevent risk, protect customers, and grow with confidence. Equifax offers a robust portfolio designed to secure every customer interaction with less friction, leveraging multiple data points, powerful trust signals, and Artificial Intelligence.

Contact us for expert advice and assistance.

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