Riskified urges fraud vigilance as holiday eCommerce surges
Riskified has announced new initiatives in support of International Fraud Awareness Week during a period of heightened eCommerce activity. This comes as merchants and consumers face increased risks from evolving fraud tactics, particularly those leveraging artificial intelligence.
Rising eCommerce activity
Forecasts predict holiday eCommerce sales will reach between USD $305 billion and USD $311 billion in 2025. With more shoppers turning to online channels for holiday purchases, businesses stand to gain significant incremental revenue. However, this surge has also resulted in increased attention from fraudsters. Research suggests losses from eCommerce fraud could reach USD $107 billion by 2029.
AI and changing threats
Riskified's data from the third quarter of 2025 indicates a sharp increase in merchants receiving orders from generative AI channels, with figures tripling since the start of the year. During this period, shopping traffic originating from AI-powered tools was measured to be between 1.1 and 1.7 times riskier than conventional search channels. This shift is attributed both to evolving consumer shopping behaviours and the rapid adoption of AI by those seeking to compromise eCommerce transactions.
"Agents are fundamentally changing the way people shop, enabling greater convenience but also introducing new points of vulnerability," said Jeff Otto, Chief Marketing Officer, Riskified. "Fraud teams are uniquely positioned to protect both merchants and consumers; they build the guardrails that enable the safe and confident adoption of eCommerce innovation. During the holiday season and beyond, our goal is to ensure all eCommerce channels are sustainable revenue drivers, not vectors for fraud and abuse."
Visibility campaigns
As part of its involvement in International Fraud Awareness Week, Riskified has launched a billboard campaign in partnership with the New York Stock Exchange. Billboards are being displayed in Times Square and, for the first time, Silicon Valley. The campaign aims to highlight merchants prioritising safe holiday shopping environments and to draw public attention to anti-fraud measures. Riskified, along with several eCommerce partners including AWS, Deloitte, Mastercard, Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Fiserv, Checkout.com and Aurus, is also sharing educational resources and merchant success stories.
Emphasis on education
The initiatives are intended to build awareness and promote vigilance among merchants and consumers during the busy holiday retail season. The importance of education and collaboration between organisations is a central theme for International Fraud Awareness Week.
"Fraud is an issue that unfortunately affects people from all walks of life around the world and it takes many forms," said John Gill, President, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. "Whether it's a trusted employee stealing from a small business, or organized rings of fraudsters targeting seniors in our community, most people know someone who's been victimized by fraud. That's why it's so important for organizations to join in this fight together to raise awareness during this week and beyond. It is a serious problem that requires a proactive approach toward preventing it and educating people is the first step."
