Online Scams Double and Overtake Phishing for the First Time, Akamai Reports

Online scams have overtaken phishing for the first time, according to Akamai's latest State of the Internet report, which uses data from partner Bolster AI. The report says detections of online scams doubled between July 2025 and June 2026, as cybercriminals focused on more direct ways to make money from victims. It recorded about 6.4 million scams in April to June 2026, compared with 3.2 million in July to September 2025. This category typically includes fake stores, investment scams, tech support scams and payment fraud.

Phishing has not gone away. Akamai defines it as attempts to steal credentials, authentication details and data by impersonating trusted brands, and detections rose by 61%. The report links this growth to reusable phishing kits, industrialised infrastructure and AI. It says attackers use AI to create dynamic templates and multilingual lures at scale, which lowers their costs and helps them bypass older defences. The average lifespan of a phishing attack fell by more than half, from 48 days in Q4 2025 to 22 days in Q2 2026. Akamai adds that security teams are also using AI to cut investigation work from days to under an hour.

The human cost is significant. New data from the US non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center found that over 80% of scam victims there reported suicidal thoughts after the crime. The group points to self-blame, social stigma and what it calls "institutional ghosting" as contributing factors.