Nearly half of global consumers lack confidence in the travel industry’s ability to protect them from artificial intelligence-powered fraud, according to a new global survey from identity verification provider Jumio. The company’s 2025 Online Identity Study found that 44 percent of respondents worldwide doubt the travel sector’s fraud prevention capabilities. In the United States, that figure rises to 55 percent.
AI Fraud Surpasses Traditional Identity Theft in Perceived Risk
The survey highlights growing concern over the sophistication of AI-driven fraud. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they view AI-powered identity fraud as a greater threat than traditional identity theft methods—especially when submitting sensitive personal information such as government-issued IDs to book travel services online.
This perception is consistent with broader fraud trends. AuthenticID’s 2025 annual fraud report showed that digital identity fraud reached an all-time high in 2024, with a 2.10 percent fraud rate. According to the report, much of the increase is driven by deepfakes, synthetic identities, and spoofed biometric submissions—all enabled by generative AI tools.
The risks are compounded by the travel industry’s shift to fully digital services. According to Accenture’s Consumer Pulse Survey 2025, Generative AI has now overtaken both social media and traditional online travel agencies as the top channel for trip discovery among active Gen-AI users—defined as those using AI-powered tools weekly. While this trend improves user experience and personalization, it also opens the door to more sophisticated fraud vectors.
Consumer Trust and Digital Security in the Travel Sector
Jumio’s Chief Product Officer, Bala Kumar, underscored the importance of strengthening defenses in this new threat environment. “It’s critical for travel companies to implement identity verification solutions that can detect and prevent AI-generated fraud in real time,” Kumar said in the company’s announcement of the study findings. “If the industry fails to act, it risks eroding consumer trust just as digital engagement peaks.”
Building digital trust has long been a challenge in the travel economy, where rapid bookings, third-party marketplaces, and remote customer onboarding make verification more complex. Previous research has emphasized the role of identity verification in strengthening the relationship between consumers and service providers—particularly in industries dependent on short-term rentals, digital wallets, and mobile-first experiences.
The new survey data indicates that fraud prevention technologies must evolve as quickly as the tools used by bad actors. With AI now playing a central role in both creating and countering fraud, travel companies face mounting pressure to deploy advanced, layered security solutions.
Sources: Jumio, AuthenticID, Travolution
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by Ali Nassar-Smith
