AI-driven fraud as an emerging cyber risk: Evidence from a global incident-based analysis

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technologies has introduced new and complex risks to individuals, companies, financial systems, and digital trust. While existing research has primarily examined deepfakes in sexual or political contexts, systematic analyses of AI-enabled fraud remain limited. This study addresses this gap by conducting an incident-based analysis of 167 documented cases of AI- and deepfake-enabled fraud worldwide between 2019 and 2025. Drawing on Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (C-RAT), the study examines temporal trends, victim targeting patterns, financial losses, and cross-national variations to assess how emerging AI technologies reshape opportunity structures for cybercrime. The findings reveal a sharp increase in AI-assisted fraud after 2022, coinciding with the public availability of generative AI tools. Victimization patterns shifted from companies toward individuals, while financial losses initially concentrated among companies before increasingly affecting individual victims. Country-level analysis highlights substantial variation, including evidence that targeted regulatory interventions can reduce exposure to AI-enabled fraud, as demonstrated in the People’s Republic of China. Overall, the results support C-RAT’s core assumptions regarding motivated offenders, suitable targets, and capable guardianship, while extending the theory to account for AI-driven cyber threats and systemic forms of guardianship. The study emphasizes that AI-enabled fraud represents a structural social risk inherent in modern digital infrastructures. Effective mitigation requires multi-layered strategies integrating technical controls, organizational investment in cybersecurity, and adaptive regulatory governance.

LINK: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07366981.2026.2631066

Exploring the Reflection of the Definitional Problem of Terrorism in Public Opinion Using Wikipedia Data

Abstract

Terrorism is a global issue, particularly after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Despite the global attention, there is no common definition of terrorism, as what one country defines as a terrorist is considered a freedom fighter by another. However, the impact of a country's attitude towards such organizations on people's perceptions and discourse has not been thoroughly explored. Accordingly, this study examines Wikipedia content related to the People's Defense Units (YPG), an organization recognized as a terrorist entity by some countries but not defined as such by others. Turkish Wikipedia content about YPG, representing Türkiye, which recognizes YPG as a terrorist organization, is compared with English Wikipedia content about YPG, a viewpoint held by countries like the USA and the UK, which do not recognize it as a terrorist organization. Additionally, Turkish and English content related to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), recognized as a terrorist organization worldwide, is also examined using the sentiment analysis. The analysis reveals that the dominant sentiment in Turkish Wikipedia content related to YPG, representing Türkiye that recognizes YPG as a terrorist organization, is negative, while the dominant sentiment in English Wikipedia content is positive. Conversely, the prevalent emotion in both Turkish and English Wikipedia content about ISIS, universally acknowledged as a terrorist organization, is negative. In summary, the study finds that the attitudes and opinions of countries towards an organization are reflected in society, and the public's attitude towards the organization in the country they reside in also influences the discourse about that organization.

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijshs/issue/89666/1614095