Scammed and changed: How fraud is rewriting trust in APAC

Consumer fraud is reshaping trust across Asia Pacific. As scams become more sophisticated — and increasingly powered by AI — their impact is extending beyond financial loss to influence how people engage with digital services, payments and financial institutions.

LSEG Risk Intelligence's 2026 consumer fraud report in APAC explores how people across China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia are experiencing fraud, and how those experiences are driving lasting behavioural change. Based on responses from 7,000 consumers across the region, the research provides a data driven view of exposure, loss, emotional impact and preparedness.

Key findings

• Fraud exposure is widespread: Almost 6 in 10 APAC adults have been exposed to scams directly or indirectly in the past two years, with 23% personally targeted.
• Losses remain significant: Of those targeted, 42% lost money, meaning around 1 in 10 adults overall became scam victims. Younger consumers are disproportionately affected.
• AI driven scams are accelerating: Around 1 in 5 consumers encountered AI generated scam content in the past year, including voice clones, deepfakes and fake customer service chatbots.
• Fraud changes behaviour: 96% of victims report changing how they act after being scammed, becoming more cautious with payments and personal information.
• Education gaps persist: Only 23% of APAC consumers feel very well educated on how to protect themselves from scams.
  

Why it matters

As digital engagement continues to expand across APAC, consumer fraud is becoming a defining factor in trust. Understanding how scams affect confidence, behaviour and decision making is critical for organisations seeking to protect customers and strengthen fraud prevention strategies across markets.