A study conducted by TransUnion and the Ponemon Institute has found that 53 percent of federal, state and local government agency leaders said they have seen an increase in threats related to account takeover fraud in the past two years.
TransUnion said Tuesday they polled nearly 600 agency leaders for the Public Sector Fraud Study and found that only 41 percent of respondents said senior officials prioritize ATO prevention efforts.
According to the report, 60 percent of government employees said attacks associated with ATO threats have become more severe and 62 percent of agency leaders said mobile phones are the most vulnerable to those threats.
“Combatting fraud in each vector, from mobile to online portals, is an imperative and essential task that government agencies must address in 2021,” said Jonathan McDonald, executive vice president and head of TransUnion’s public sector business.
TransUnion found that more than 60 percent of survey respondents said they believe artificial intelligence and enhancements to identity authentication will help agencies improve user experiences and make citizens' online access to their accounts more secure.
“Focusing on emerging tools, such as AI, device risk assessment and identity verification, in addition to policies and best practices for a seamless user experience, will go a long way towards protecting and gaining the confidence of consumers,” added McDonald.