Sumsub warned that in 2026, AI fraud agents are expected to accelerate into a significant wave, from isolated experiments in 2025. AI fraud agents are autonomous systems that use generative AI, automation, and behavioural mimicry to carry out end-to-end verification attempts. These self-operating bots evolve to adapt their tactics in real time, and a single agent can orchestrate a comprehensive attack chain that combines fake-ID document generation, deepfake video submission, and human-like interaction at high speed.
APAC fraud landscape
According to Sumsub’s Fraud Exposure Survey 2025, 60% of companies in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region reported incidents to the police, rather than treating fraud as a compliance issue (higher than Europe’s 29%). Maldives (2100%), Malaysia (408%), Mongolia (200%), Thailand (199%), and Sri Lanka (194%) are among the top 5 jurisdictions in APAC with the largest YoY deepfakes growth.
Due to impersonation scams and fraudulent e-wallet registrations, deepfake incidents surged by over 158% YoY in Singapore, the 6th-highest growth rate in APAC, despite its overall fraud growth rate falling by 12% YoY.
“The fraud landscape in APAC has changed faster in the past twelve months than in the previous five years combined. In 2025, we saw fraud rates decline across mature economies, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea — yet deepfakes and synthetic identities are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. Countries such as Bangladesh and India have seen AI-driven impersonations become the new normal. This shift indicates that the region’s success in combating basic scams has prompted attackers to adapt their tactics,” said Penny Chai, vice president, APAC at Sumsub.
Securing APAC’s digital future
Sumsub urges organisations to adopt multi-layer verification frameworks that continuously assess device telemetry, behavioural patterns, and contextual signals to identify both advanced identity manipulation and non-human attack behaviours.
