Fraudulent e-commerce transactions 117% higher during the holidays

New research by TransUnion has found that suspected fraudulent e-commerce transactions are 117% higher during the holidays compared to the rest of the year.

The analysis reviewed e-commerce transactions throughout the Cyber Five days, spanning from the Thursday before Black Friday, 23 November to Cyber Monday, 27 November 2023. For consumers located in the UK when transacting, the average number of suspected e-commerce fraud attempts on any given day during the 2023 Cyber Five days was 117% higher than the rest of the year.

Kelli Fielding, Chief Product Officer at TransUnion said “As many purchase gifts online for their friends and loved ones during the run-up to the festive break, there is an increased risk of fraudsters targeting vulnerable consumers for their financial gain.”

“It is critical that online retailers protect consumers seeking the best deals and financial organisations are using all the tools available to stop fraudsters where they can, by employing holistic fraud solutions that verify customer identity and authenticity at the beginning on transactions.”

The analysis revealed the average percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts on any given day around Black Friday. TransUnion found UK customers flagged 1.52% of e-commerce transactions as potentially fraudulent, peaking on Black Friday, when suspected digital fraud rate reached 1.76%.

Chad Reimers, General Manager of fraud and ID at TransUnion in the UK said “While the data suggests that there was an uptick in suspected fraudulent transactions – particularly in relation to previous years – this may also be a result of stricter rules and lower risk appetite being applied by retailers during this period,”  “Retailers may have reflected on past years’ activity and introduced elements of friction for transactions deemed riskier.”

In parallel to the rise of suspected digital fraud, consumers are expressing growing concern about potential victimisation during the traditional peak period of seasonal shopping. TransUnion’s Q4 2023 Consumer Pulse study found that most UK consumers (59%) are extremely, very or moderately concerned with falling victim to online fraud this festive season – an increase from 52% in 2022.

Reimers added “The winter holidays signify the peak shopping season for retailers, but minimising digital fraud should remain a priority year-round as we see acceleration to digital channels continue.”

“Retailers need to be proactive when it comes to fraud prevention, by arming themselves with the appropriate tools to protect consumers, while offering them a seamless shopping experience in the most friction-right way possible. We are seeing practical examples of this through the multi-layering of risk decisioning strategies during consumer onboarding, leveraging multiple identity, digital, and device signals.”

The Suspected Digital Fraud Rate Varies for Each Day of the 2023 Holiday Shopping Weekend

Day	Transactions in the UK
Thursday, 23 Nov.	1.51%
Friday, 24 Nov.	1.76%
Saturday, 25 Nov.	1.54%
Sunday, 26 Nov.	1.27%
Monday, 27 Nov.	1.50%

The Percentage of Suspected E-Commerce Fraud during the Cyber Five vs. Overall

Country/ Region	Cyber Five 2023 (23 – 27 Nov.)	All 2023 prior to 23 Nov.	Cyber Five 2022 (24 – 28 Nov.)	All 2022	Cyber Five 2021 (25 – 29 Nov.)	All 2021
UK	1.52%	1.09%	0.66%	0.88%	0.63%	0.70%