In 2024, losses from payment fraud in the European Economic Area (EEA) reached €4.2 billion. This equates to roughly €480,000 every hour, or about €11.5 million per day.
According to a joint report by the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Central Bank (ECB), published in December 2025, the total volume of fraudulent transactions rose from €3.5 billion in 2023 and €3.4 billion in 2022. The annual increase was approximately 17–20%.
The largest share is accounted for by fraudulent credit transfers — around €2.2–2.5 billion. Card fraud is estimated at about €1.3 billion. The remainder consists of direct debits, cash withdrawals, and e-money transactions.
At the same time, around 85% of the losses from fraudulent credit transfers are borne by the users themselves. Criminals are increasingly less likely to try to hack accounts using technical means — more often they convince people to authorize the transfer themselves.
European authorities are strengthening requirements for technology companies through the Digital Services Act, seeking a more active fight against fraudulent advertising. At the same time, banks and regulators are expanding public awareness programs about the risks.
