Fighting cons, building confidence

Welcome to Inside the Circles, your scoop on the people, tech and trends shaping the digital economy and beyond.

Cybercrime has become so pervasive that nearly 60% of people now see being scammed as inevitable. Mastercard’s new global consumer survey reveals a world on edge — where AI-fueled fraud blurs truth and trust and consumers say it’s tougher to protect their data than to keep their own homes secure. 

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Mastercard Newsroom is exploring the new frontlines of fraud. For example, two types of scams are being supercharged by AI’s speed and scale: digital skimming, where malicious code is injected into online checkouts to sweep up card data, and card testing, in which fraudsters use tiny charges to validate stolen numbers. Battling them requires consumer vigilance mixed with layered defenses, including real-time anomaly and behavioral detection and stronger merchant controls. Learn more here.  

But it’s not just a machine vs. machine game. When a tourist’s card was cloned in Mexico, it took both AI and human intuition to spot the charges — a reminder that while AI can scan billions of transactions for fraud, it still needs people to teach it context, adapt to new scams, and stay one move ahead in the cat-and-mouse game of cybercrime. Two Mastercard cyber experts explain how.  

And as AI and automation redefine the global economy, “Securing Tomorrow,” a Mastercard white paper, explores how a security-by-design approach will be the key for organizations to unlock a more resilient digital future.  

Watch out

In “Evolution of a con,” the first episode of the new Mastercard documentary series “Anatomy of a Scam,” learn how fraudsters use urgency, social engineering and other techniques to trick their victims via text messages. As one expert says, “They know they can hack your brain.”   

The last word 

“Cybercrime is industrializing. Tackling it requires coordinated global action, economic foresight and shared responsibility.” 

Johan Gerber , Mastercard’s head of Security Solutions, in a LinkedIn dispatch from the Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It all ‘ads’ up 

In a major push into the booming retail media market — expected to reach $100 billion in spending by 2028 — Mastercard unveiled a new digital media network that helps advertisers reach consumers, deliver personalized offers and, critically, measure performance to understand the true value of ad spend, traditionally a significant pain point. It’s not just another ad platform — it’s a smarter, more precise way to reach people with content that matters to them.  

Mastercard Commerce Media draws on insights from its roughly 160 billion annual transactions, insights from 500 million-plus enrolled customers in Mastercard’s Offers program and 25,000 merchant advertisers, as well as its robust partnerships, to bring more precision and accountability to the industry. With Mastercard’s proprietary card-linking technology, advertisers can directly measure whether their campaigns drive real sales, in store or online. Read more about how it works and how it can bolster brand loyalty here. Plus, check out Marketing Dive 's coverage here.  

ICYMI 

Testing 1, 2, 3: With changing supply chain dynamics, evolving consumer expectations and continual digital disruption, business experimentation is a key strategy for navigating uncertainty. A Mastercard white paper, “Commerce in flux: Navigating uncertainty through experimentation,” looks at three ways brands are testing, learning and adapting in real time.  

Career potential, unlocked: Mastercard’s AI-powered talent marketplace, Unlocked, launched three years ago and makes it easy to find projects, mentors and other opportunities for employees to grow their careers. Employees have now logged more than 1 million hours using the platform, from boosting cybersecurity in Germany’s public sector to building business plans for new segments in Latin American markets. Read more about it on Mastercard’s Careers blog.  

Circular thinking: At Climate Week NYC, leaders from Mastercard, Lime , Beni , Futerra and Futureline made the case that the future of climate action isn’t about doing less — it’s about doing smarter, as tech and teamwork fuel a comeback for reuse, repair and the circular economy.