GenAI or GenAFraud – How to use AI Proactively to Fight Against Invoice Fraud

68% of organizations reported fraud attempts over the past year, with 62% of businesses citing generative AI as a key driver behind the surge in invoice fraud. AP and invoice fraud led to a global loss of $485.6 billion, according to the Nasdaq Verafin’s 2024 Global Financial Crime Report. CFOs and CIOs cannot afford to think of AP fraud as a back-office issue. In today’s volatile landscape, such as the ongoing tariff tensions, SAP migrations, and the looming threat of a market correction, CFOs must prioritize investments that maximize ROI and reduce the risk of financial and reputational loss. 

Fraudsters are being funded like big businesses. With the advancement of readily available AI technologies, accounts payable (AP) fraud tactics are becoming more sophisticated, and the volume and complexity of these transactions are making it difficult for traditional fraud protection methods to keep up. To outpace this new wave of digital deception, businesses must shift from reactive defenses to proactive, AI-driven fraud prevention and future-proof AP operations.  

A New Bandit with GenAI  

Fraudsters leverage generative AI to deceive finance teams with alarming precision. Understanding the most common schemes is the first step for CFOs and AP teams. From hyper-realistic fake invoices to deepfake audio mimicking executives, mischaracterized payments, and subtle data manipulation, these tools make fraudulent requests nearly indistinguishable from legitimate ones. Fraudsters use these tactics to slip through internal controls and only being discovered after the damage is done.  

Unlike traditional fraud, GenAI-powered attacks operate at scale and speed. Phishing emails, fake websites, and AI-altered communications can now be auto-generated and personalized in seconds. In some cases, AI even crafts entire email threads that appear to come from trusted vendors or internal stakeholders.  

This surge in advanced, malicious tech makes manual detection nearly impossible, leaving AP departments struggling to flag inconsistencies in real-time. Without the proper safeguards, businesses remain vulnerable to significant financial and reputational losses.  

A Lack of Fraud Protection  

Today’s global economic uncertainties – ranging from shifting trade tariffs to regional regulatory changes – are increasing pressure on finance teams to process payments quickly and accurately. That strain is further compounded in regions facing local disruptions, such as post-election policy changes or economic volatility, making it even easier for fraud to slip through the cracks. In the rush to stay on top of invoices, mistakes are easier to miss mistakes and scams harder to spot – especially when processes are manual. Internal and external fraudsters can exploit process gaps to conceal unauthorized transactions, making them harder to catch during routine audits.   

With 90% of organizations lacking a dedicated fraud prevention team, AP departments are often overstretched and under-equipped. As a result, they tend to prioritize speed over thorough verification. Decentralized operations and remote work have introduced further blind spots. Gaps in communication and accountability make it difficult to catch discrepancies early. Without real-time visibility and consistent verification protocols, fraudulent activity can go unnoticed for weeks.   

To stay protected, businesses need connected, proactive systems that support both scale and speed. Fraudsters are counting on businesses to stay slow and reactive to acquire the millions of dollars they steal from them each year.  

Simplify Protection Through Automation  

AI-powered solutions can meticulously examine every transaction with precision and consistency and equip AP teams to identify threats in real time, protecting their organizations from the threat of profit loss, invoice errors, and fraud. These tools use sophisticated algorithms to analyze historical transaction data, establishing a baseline of normal behavior to flag anomalies within the accounts payable process.  

When suspicious activity is flagged, automated workflows can pause payments or escalate alerts instantly, giving teams time to investigate before any damage is done. This early detection capability helps businesses mitigate financial losses, protect their reputations, and avoid increasingly advanced fraud threats.  

The Strategic Response:    

Waiting until fraud strikes is too late. It’s no longer a question of if an organization will be targeted but when. Taking a proactive approach ensures a plan is in place to both prevent attacks and minimize the impact if one does occur. The responsibility for financial losses, reputational damage, and business disruption ultimately falls on the CFO, making it essential they lead the shift toward stronger AP defenses.  

It begins with a clear-eyed audit of existing AP workflows to identify verification, approval, and oversight gaps. From there, CFOs should implement AI-powered automation that integrates seamlessly with ERP systems. As fraud tactics evolve, AP teams must remain alert. Human awareness is still a vital layer of protection. One that can make the difference between catching an attack early and missing it entirely.  

One company that illustrates the impact of automation is KION, a global leader in warehouse equipment. Facing growing fraud and error risks from manual invoice processing, KION adopted AI-driven AP automation. Over 90% of its payments are automatically validated in real-time using pre-set rules. This reduces errors, minimizes fraud risk, and gives the finance team full control and visibility over every transaction.  

While AI offers tremendous promise in the fight against fraud, its effectiveness depends on the quality and integrity of the data it processes. That’s why CFOs must act decisively, not only to implement new technologies but also to ensure the systems supporting them are clean, connected, and reliable.  

In a landscape where fraud is advancing faster than most businesses can react, CFOs must spearhead the transformation of their AP functions. Integrating AI is no longer just a defensive measure; it’s a strategic step toward long-term resilience.  

The longer finance leaders delay, the more vulnerable their organizations become. AI is no longer optional; it’s essential. Those who modernize now with smart, secure, and scalable solutions will be best positioned to reduce risk, protect their reputation, and future-proof the financial core of the business.