BioCatch’s 2026 Report Says Customer-Reported Scams Rose 35%, 90% of Attempts Were on Mobile
Summary
BioCatch reports scams among its customers rose 35% in 2026; 90% of reported scam attempts were on mobile. The report highlights employment and investment scams and recommends behavioral signals to identify coercion and intervene before payment.
Key points
- BioCatch says scam reports among its customers in 21 countries increased 35% in 2026, compared with a 65% increase reported for 2025.
- Employment scams had the largest increase: reported victims rose 258%. Romance scam attempts increased 23%.
- BioCatch says 90% of reported scam attempts were on mobile devices, up five percentage points from the previous year.
- Purchase scams accounted for almost one-third of reported cases; investment scams had an average case value of $6,600, nearly five times the average across scam types.
- The report describes possible coercion signals including an active call, remote-access apps, dictated typing, a new beneficiary, an unusual payment amount, and repeated touch events; it notes that individual signals do not prove a scam.
- BioCatch recommends monitoring behavior throughout the banking session and using timely warnings to interrupt risky payments. In its example, the customer abandoned a payment after warnings before authorizing it.
- The report urges banks to monitor receiving accounts and trace where funds go, noting that scams may use conventional payment channels and mule accounts.
Article Details
- Publisher
- BioCatch
- Report Period
- 2026 report; scam trends cover the preceding 12 months; deployment figures are as of the end of H1 2026.
- Scope
- Global scam trends reported by BioCatch customers, including impersonation, investment, purchase, and romance scams; includes analysis of social engineering and bank intervention opportunities.
- Sample Size
- Not disclosed
- Key Statistics
- BioCatch customers reported a 35% increase in scams in 2026, compared with 65% growth reported in 2025.
- Employment scam victims increased 258% over the preceding 12 months.
- The average investment scam case value was $6,600, nearly five times the average across all scam types.
- 90% of reported scam attempts took place on mobile devices, up five percentage points from the prior year.
- NCMEC was logging 137 reports of financial sextortion per day; the article does not provide a global count of victims.
- Recommendations
- Banks should monitor receiving-side activity, including mule accounts and rapid movement of funds, as closely as sending-side activity.
- Banks should trace where fraud proceeds went and what they became, and provide investigators with complete case information.
- Use behavioral and device signals to identify possible coercion and intervene with dynamic messaging before payment authorization.
- Do not focus fraud strategies exclusively on cryptocurrency; monitor established payment channels such as gift cards, wire transfers, and peer-to-peer payments.