Fraud in Colombia Continues to Target Transactions and Drive Significant Downstream Costs, According to LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study

05/11/2026

ATLANTA — LexisNexis® Risk Solutions has released findings from its LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America, highlighting the continued impact of fraud on organizations in Mexico as digital transactions and customer engagement expand across the region.

The study shows that fraud continues to generate significant downstream costs for organizations across Latin America. According to the report, each fraudulent transaction results in 3.68 times the value of the initial loss once investigation, operational, regulatory and customer‑experience impacts are included.

Source: LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America https://risk.lexisnexis.com/global/es/insights-resources/research/latam-true-cost-of-fraud

 In Colombia, fraud losses remain heavily concentrated around transaction activity. The study finds that 43% of fraud losses occur during transactions, reinforcing transactions as a primary target for fraudsters and a critical focus area for fraud‑prevention teams.

Third‑party fraud accounts for 51% of total fraud losses in Colombia, driven by activity such as mule accounts, disbursement fraud and account takeover. Fraud exposure remains predominantly domestic, with 82% of fraud losses originating within Colombia, underscoring the importance of local risk signals and real‑time intelligence.

Organizations continue to block a high volume of fraudulent activity, yet fraud attempts persist. On average, Colombian organizations report preventing approximately 2,833 fraudulent transactions each month, while 659 fraudulent transactions still succeed. The data illustrates both the scale of attempted fraud and the ongoing challenges in detection and prevention.

Balancing fraud prevention with customer experience remains a priority across Latin America. As digital and mobile engagement accelerates, organizations are focused on strengthening fraud controls while limiting friction for legitimate customers and supporting continued growth.

“Fraud in Colombia is increasingly driven by transaction activity and domestic third‑party abuse,” said Oscar Jesús Flores, fraud and identity expert at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

“Organizations must strengthen real‑time intelligence across the transaction lifecycle while maintaining experiences that support customer trust and digital expansion.”

• Forty‑three percent of fraud losses occur during transaction activity
• Third‑party fraud represents 51% of total fraud losses
• Eighty‑two percent of fraud losses originate domestically
• Fraud prevention efforts stop thousands of attacks each month, yet significant volumes persist

Methodology
The LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America is based on insights from fraud and risk executives across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico and examines how fraud impacts financial performance, customer trust and digital growth across the region.

Source: LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America https://risk.lexisnexis.com/global/es/insights-resources/research/latam-true-cost-of-fraud

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis® Risk Solutions leverages the power of data, advanced analytics platforms and integrated AI solutions to provide insights that help businesses across multiple industries and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, please visit LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RELX.