The rate of suspected digital fraud attempts in the Dominican Republic falls, but identity-based fraud rises
5 minutes read
- In the first half of 2025, 8.6% of digital transactions made in the Dominican Republic were suspected of being digital fraud.
- The industry with the highest rate of suspected digital fraud in the Dominican Republic in the first half of 2025 was financial services, at 18.2%.
- Gift card/money scams and third-party seller scams on legitimate websites were the most common fraud methods recently reported by Dominican consumers.
Santo Domingo, 6 November 2025 – In the first half of 2025, 8.6% of attempted digital transactions made in the Dominican Republic were suspected of being fraudulent, a 17% decrease compared with the same period the previous year, although well above the 2.8% rate for the Latin American countries analysed.
However, identity-based fraud continues to grow, driven by large numbers of exposed identities and increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals.
In the Dominican Republic, 14.2% of attempted digital account creations were suspected of fraud during the first half of the year, as were 5.3% of account logins and 12.6% of financial transactions. All of these figures are higher than the global findings of 8.3%, 4.3% and 2.7%, respectively.
“These trends highlight the growing need for robust identity verification and fraud prevention strategies from the earliest stages of digital engagement,” said Diana Martínez, Director of Fraud Solutions at TransUnion Latin America. “Consumers remain both targets and victims of various fraud schemes, and the Latin Americans surveyed reported smishing and vishing as the schemes most used by fraudsters. Prevention strategies must be consumer-centred, with an emphasis on protecting personal information and credentials.”
According to TransUnion’s H2 2025 Top Fraud Trends Update, 32% of consumers in the Dominican Republic said they had been targeted by fraud via email, online, phone calls or text messages between February and May 2025. Among those who said they had been targeted, the most reported fraud schemes, tied for first place, were gift card/money scams and third-party seller scams on legitimate websites.
Chart 1: Consumers in the Americas who reported being targeted by fraud via email, online, phone calls or text messages (February to May 2025)
| Country | Targeted and victimised | Targeted but not victimised | Not targeted | Most reported fraud scheme |
| Guatemala | 12% | 23% | 65% | Third-party seller scams on legitimate sites |
| Dominican Republic | 11% | 21% | 69% | Gift card/money scam Third-party seller scams on legitimate sites (tied) |
| Chile | 10% | 31% | 60% | Vishing |
| United States | 9% | 42% | 49% | Phishing Smishing (tied) |
| Colombia | 9% | 30% | 61% | Smishing Vishing (tied) |
| Canada | 6% | 40% | 54% | Phishing Vishing (tied) |
| Brazil | 4% | 23% | 73% | Vishing |
Source: TransUnion consumer survey
Globally, the video gaming sector recorded the highest percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts in the first half of 2025, at 13.5%. This represents a significant 28% increase in volume compared with the same period in 2024, underlining the sector’s growing vulnerability to fraudulent activity. For transactions made in the Dominican Republic, the financial services sector recorded the highest percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts in the first half of 2025, at 18.2%.
In many of the Latin American countries analysed, the government sector had the highest rate of suspected digital fraud in the first half of 2025, with an average increase of 80% compared with the first half of 2024. This trend reflects fraudsters’ ongoing efforts to exploit sectors that handle sensitive personal data.
Chart 2: Suspected digital fraud rates in the Dominican Republic by sector
| Industry | H1 2025 suspected digital fraud attempt rate | Change in volume of suspected digital fraud attempts (H1 2024 to H1 2025) |
| Financial services | 18.2% | +443% |
| Gambling | 14.9% | +5% |
| Logistics | 14.8% | +73% |
| Government | 14.7% | +46% |
| Video gaming | 8.6% | -48% |
| Communities (online forums and dating sites) | 5.1% | -77% |
| Retail | 3.9% | -69% |
| Insurance | 3.0% | +146% |
| Telecommunications | 0.8% | -13% |
| Travel and leisure | 0.1% | -76% |
Source: TransUnion global intelligence network
“Because the risk of scams threatens the integrity of consumers’ identities, organisations rely on a combination of data, risk signals, technology and tools to prevent fraud,” said Martínez. “Globally, business leaders rank identity verification, device reputation and behavioural biometrics as the top three fraud prevention technologies.”
“Businesses and financial institutions should also invest in sustained education and awareness campaigns to mitigate schemes such as account takeover. Preventing fraud must necessarily be a multifaceted strategy if businesses and consumers want to stay ahead of fraudsters, whose tactics continue to evolve.”
About the analysis
TransUnion reached its conclusions on digital fraud based on intelligence from its TransUnion TruValidate suite of identity and fraud products, which help secure trust across all channels and deliver efficient consumer experiences.
The rate or percentage of suspected digital fraud attempts reflects those that TransUnion customers determined met one of the following conditions: 1) real-time denial due to fraud indicators, 2) real-time denial due to corporate policy violations, 3) confirmed fraud following customer investigation, or 4) corporate policy violation following customer investigation, compared with all transactions assessed.
Country and regional analyses examined transactions in which the consumer or suspected fraudster was located in a selected country or region when conducting the transaction. Global statistics represent all countries worldwide, not just the selected countries and regions.
Country and region-specific data in the report include: the Dominican Republic, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia.
Download TransUnion’s H2 2025 Top Fraud Trends Update for more information and insights on global fraud trends.
About TransUnion Dominican Republic
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with more than 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries, including the Dominican Republic. We make trust possible by ensuring that each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this by providing a multidimensional view of consumers, managed with care.
Through our acquisitions and technology investments, we have developed innovative solutions in areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good®, creating economic opportunities, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world.