Online purchase scams as share of total scams worldwide 2015-2023

The COVID-19 outbreak saw a surge in e-commerce, but it also exposed a darker side. In 2020, over 38 percent of all scams worldwide were attributed to online purchases. However, as the pandemic waned, incidents of online shopping scams decreased, accounting for three in ten e-commerce transactions between January and June 2022. In 2023, the figure increased again to 41.9 percent.

Rising costs and prevention efforts

As online fraud continues to escalate, so do the financial losses and prevention efforts. E-commerce losses to online payment fraud were estimated at 41 billion U.S. dollars globally in 2022, with projections reaching 48 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. In response, the e-commerce fraud detection and prevention market is expected to grow significantly, potentially surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. [1273177, 1273278]

AI in fraud management

Merchants are adapting their strategies to combat the rising tide of online fraud. In 2024, 45 percent of e-merchants prioritized preventing fraud and chargebacks in their fraud management strategy, up from 40 percent in 2021. Additionally, approximately two-thirds of online merchants reported using or planning to use generative AI in e-commerce fraud management within the next 12 months to safeguard online transactions.