Driven by AI, Unico forecasts a 550% surge in sophisticated fraud by 2026

Unico, the leading identity verification network inLatin America, released projections for an increase in sophisticated fraudattacks in 2026. The most conservative scenario forecasts a 150% increase forthe year. However, with the growing accessibility of Artificial Intelligence(AI) tools, the increase could reach 550%, driven by the replication of faces,voices, and behaviors with a high degree of accuracy.

This growth projection is based on a rapidly expandingnumber of cases. In 2025, the company recorded a 1,082% increase in digitalfraud attempts compared to the previous year. This surge primarily affects thefinancial services, online retail, and betting platforms sectors, with directfinancial and reputational impacts.

Furthermore, the cost for a fraudster to carry outattacks has dropped dramatically. What once required US$1,000 in hardware cannow be done with software subscriptions costing less than US$5.00 per month.

“Fraud is no longer a secondary risk; it is a centralchallenge for organizations operating in the digital environment. This isbecause AI tools are making attacks faster and cheaper, which directly impactsthe effectiveness of this synthetic content,” said Davi Reis, Tech Advisor atUnico.

By 2025, Unico performed over 1.5 billion identityauthentications and reached an all-time high in accuracy, with 99.98% precisionand a significant increase in the use of liveness detection—technology thatcombats extremely robust attacks through multi-layered analysis, combiningfactors such as biometrics, behavioral cues, body temperature, and device data.Unico’s liveness technology maintains a FAR (False Acceptance Rate) of 0,indicating zero fraud, which means 100% of attempts to bypass the system areblocked.

“As deepfakes become more realistic and accessible,protection relies less on visual analysis of the content and more onunderstanding the context. From a structural standpoint, technologies alreadyexist, such as those from Unico, that can mitigate this risk, especially inregulated environments like banks, large retailers, and digital platforms,which adopt verification solutions at the moment the video is captured, beforeany fake content can be used,” notes Davi. “The trend is for these technologiesto become increasingly common, expanding consumer protection as deepfakesevolve,” he concludes.

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About Unico

Unico is Latin America’s leading identity verificationnetwork and a trusted link in the digital society. With solutions based onfacial biometrics, machine learning, and reinforced security layers, Unicovalidates with 100% certainty who is behind a transaction and the associatedidentity risks. By doing so, it combats fraud, protects data, and promotestrust among individuals, businesses, and governments, contributing to thedevelopment of a safer and less bureaucratic world. Globally renowned funds suchas SoftBank, General Atlantic, and Goldman Sachs trust and invest in Unico. Learnmore at www.unico.io. 

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