The lockdowns of 2020 led to an increase in online activity. This in turn led to an increase in online identity theft and fraud. The question asked for 2021 is whether 2020 was a temporary spike, or an ongoing change in fraudulent activity.

This is the question discussed by Onfido in its Identity Fraud Report 2022, and answered quite simply, “The jump in fraud that was a direct result of COVID-19 appears to be here to stay.” The reason is simple. People may have been forced into more online shopping and remote working, but have liked what they found. That behavior will continue, and so will fraud.