Latvia tops European identity theft risk ranking for expats

Latvia has the highest share of identity theft among fraud cases detected by Sumsub in Europe, according to research from international health insurance specialist William Russell, highlighting potential risks for expatriates navigating unfamiliar financial and digital systems.

Identity theft accounted for 4.35% of fraud cases detected by the identity verification platform in Latvia, followed by Estonia at 2.77% and Moldova at 2.11%.

Poland ranked fourth (1.91%), ahead of Belgium (1.74%), Ireland (1.70%), Romania (1.68%), Spain (1.50%), and the UK (1.49%).

The findings have implications for travel insurers and corporate travel risk managers supporting internationally mobile employees, who may encounter unfamiliar processes when opening bank accounts, arranging accommodation, purchasing insurance or making international payments.

William Russell Director and Co-Owner William Cooper said: “Moving abroad can make people particularly vulnerable to fraud because they are often navigating systems they are unfamiliar with. Whether it is opening a bank account, securing accommodation, arranging insurance or making an international payment, expats may not always know what legitimate processes look like in their new country.”

The research also highlights wider cyber fraud concerns. Singapore recorded the highest cyber fraud rate in the study, at 905.24 offences per 100,000 people, followed by Spain at 861.71. France recorded 303.58 offences per 100,000.

The rankings measure identity theft as a proportion of detected fraud cases, rather than the overall likelihood of an individual becoming a victim, offering a useful indicator of potential exposure.