Report: AI-Enabled Social Engineering Attacks Are on the Rise

Visa's H2 2025 threats report warns that criminals are increasingly using AI-enabled social engineering to bypass technical controls, with scams accounting for nearly $1 billion in consumer payment losses during July–December 2025; ransomware incidents rose 26% in the period even as ransom payments declined. The report stresses the need for intelligence-driven defenses, cross-sector collaboration, and improved security awareness to address people-focused attacks.