Fraud in Mexico Continues to Concentrate Around 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 Mexico, fraud losses remain heavily concentrated around transaction activity. The study finds that 51% of fraud losses occur during transactions, reinforcing transactions as a primary target for fraudsters and a critical control point for organizations.

Fraud patterns in Mexico are driven largely by third‑party fraud, which accounts for 46% of total fraud losses, followed by first‑party fraud at 36% and synthetic fraud at 18%. This distribution reflects a threat landscape shaped by expanding digital access, social engineering activity and account takeover attempts.

Fraud exposure in Mexico is primarily domestic. The study shows that 76% of fraud losses originate from domestic activity, while 24% stem from international activity, underscoring the importance of strong local intelligence and transaction‑monitoring capabilities.

Despite robust prevention efforts, fraud volumes remain high. On average, organizations in Mexico report preventing approximately 2,975 fraudulent transactions each month, while 712 fraudulent transactions still succeed. The data highlights both the scale of attempted fraud and the persistence of evolving attack methods.

Balancing fraud prevention with customer experience remains a priority across Latin America. Organizations continue to strengthen fraud controls while working to limit friction for legitimate customers as digital and mobile engagement accelerates.“Fraud continues to concentrate around transaction activity as organizations expand digital engagement,” said Oscar Jesús Flores, fraud and identity expert at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “Protecting transactions while maintaining seamless customer experiences is essential to supporting growth and trust.”

• Fifty‑one percent of fraud losses occur during transaction activity
• Third‑party fraud represents 46% of total fraud losses, followed by first‑party and synthetic fraud
• Seventy‑six percent of fraud losses originate domestically
• Fraud prevention efforts block thousands of attacks each month, yet significant volumes persist

Methodology
The LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America is based on a survey of 121 risk and fraud executives in financial services and lending organizations across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Data was collected between September and October 2025 and examines fraud risks, operational challenges and financial impacts associated with continued digitalization, faster‑payments adoption and AI‑driven fraud tactics.

Source: LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America Download the LexisNexis® True Cost of Fraud™ Study – Latin America.

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.