Trustpair Report: 71% of U.S. Companies Face Surge in AI Fraud, Manual Defenses Struggling to Cope
The report "Fraud in the Cyber Era: 2026 Fraud Trends & Insights," published by Trustpair in collaboration with Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, shows that 71% of U.S. companies experienced an increase in AI fraud attacks over the past 12 months, with nearly half of financial leaders considering AI fraud one of their biggest challenges. Although the proportion of companies relying on manual verification dropped from 69% to 48%, nearly half of organizations still cannot handle the scale of AI attacks. The report also found that 45% of companies are unaware of the new Nacha rules taking effect in March 2026, and 13% have no supplier bank account verification process at all.
NEW YORK—January 27, 2026—New data released by Trustpair reveals that AI-driven fraud is outpacing human defenses at an alarming rate. Over the past year, 71% of U.S. companies experienced accelerated attacks, yet 48% still rely on manual verification to stop fraud.
The report, titled "Fraud in the Cyber Era: 2026 Fraud Trends & Insights," was developed by Trustpair in collaboration with corporate practitioners and experts from Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, surveying 250 CFOs and senior finance executives at U.S. companies. It reveals a dangerous gap between the speed and scale of AI-driven attacks and the defense processes companies still rely on.
"AI has raised the baseline for fraud. Risk continues to rise, but internal processes have not kept pace," said Baptiste Collot, co-founder and CEO of Trustpair. "It's not that companies are unwilling to act—they often don't know where to start, or they think they need a complete overhaul at once. The reality is that manual callbacks and email checks simply cannot defend against attacks generated at scale."
Key Findings
- 71% of U.S. companies saw an increase in AI-driven fraud attempts over the past 12 months, and nearly half of finance leaders (47%) say AI fraud has become one of the biggest challenges in fraud prevention.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC) remains the top fraud vector, affecting 62% of organizations, followed by fake websites (48%) and SMS phishing (45%).
- The share of companies relying primarily on manual verification dropped from 69% to 48%, but nearly half of organizations still depend on manual reviews and manual checks that cannot handle the scale of AI-driven attacks.
- A quarter of companies suffered six-figure losses due to fraud, 45% spent days responding to a single incident, and 17% had to fire employees due to fraud-related mistakes.
Companies Face Growing Fraud Pressure
Trustpair's report notes that companies are facing multiple overlapping threats: rising regulatory pressure, faster payment operations, and more sophisticated attack methods. Behind these pressures lie structural weaknesses—supplier data is scattered across different systems, verification is infrequent, and data quickly becomes outdated, giving fraudsters an opening. Only 32% of companies verify supplier bank account information continuously or in real time, leaving most organizations exposed between supplier onboarding and payment.
As compliance requirements become stricter, speed and accuracy are more important than ever. New rules from Nacha, effective March 2026, require pre-validation of accounts, which will layer on top of existing internal control requirements like SOX compliance. Worryingly, nearly half of companies (45%) are unaware of the upcoming Nacha rules, and 13% have no supplier bank account verification process at all.
Automation Growth Drives Modernization
Despite the challenges, Trustpair's research also shows encouraging signs of progress. In 2025, half of companies increased their anti-fraud budgets, and adoption of automated account verification tools rose slightly (from 31% to 34%). Training remains important for raising awareness, but as fraud escalates, organizations are turning to automation and continuous verification to reduce human error and strengthen controls without sacrificing operational efficiency. Embedding these checks into existing finance and procurement processes is critical to enhancing security without adding friction.
To access the full findings of the report and learn how companies can modernize fraud defenses before new regulations take effect, you candownload the full report。
About Trustpair
Founded in 2017, Trustpair helps large global companies eliminate supplier payment fraud through its market-leading account verification platform. Trustpair serves more than 500 corporate clients, helping finance teams defend against fraud attacks. With offices in New York City, Paris, and London, the company employs over 100 people dedicated to payment security. Visittrustpair.comto learn more.
