Observed Signal · Oct 29, 2026 · Research Report · Source: PR Newswire: Advertising & Marketing · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Online Scams Overtake Phishing: Akamai Report
A new report from Akamai, featuring threat intelligence from Bolster AI, reveals that online scams have surpassed traditional phishing in detected volume for the first time. Between July 2025 and June 2026, scam detections doubled from 3.2 million to 6.4 million, while the average phishing attack lifespan dropped from 48.3 days in Q4 2025 to 22 days in Q2 2026, a decline of over 50%. Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting brand trust to commit financial fraud through counterfeit storefronts, investment scams, and payment fraud across websites, social media, and advertisements. The report underscores the need for connected threat detection and disruption of coordinated fraud infrastructure.
Highlights a significant shift in cybercrime trends affecting brand safety and ad fraud, but is not directly about ad tech operations.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Online scam detections surpassed phishing for the first time in Q1 2026.
- Scam detections doubled from 3.2 million to 6.4 million in the reporting period.
- Average phishing attack lifespan fell from 48.3 days (Q4 2025) to 22 days (Q2 2026).
- Phishing detections still grew 61% by Q2 2026.
- Data sourced from Bolster AI's threat intelligence featured in Akamai's 2026 State of the Internet report.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“Akamai's 2026 State of the Internet report features Bolster AI's threat intelligence.”
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