We face risks from fraudulent activity associated with Card Members, merchants and others, including through bad actors obtaining access to our customer accounts and information and frauds committed by our customers against us. Large financial services firms such as American Express and our customers are regularly targeted by a range of fraudulent activity, including fraud on our card and banking products, false disputes, account takeovers, identity theft and electronic-transaction related crimes, with sophisticated perpetrators increasingly utilizing a range of advanced techniques and multiple parties acting in concert. New or emerging technologies, such as generative AI capabilities, have increased these fraud risks. For example, we have seen our customers targeted by elaborate and voluminous social engineering attacks, which may utilize advanced methods of deception, such as synthetic voice and conversation generation. Information and cybersecurity breaches and other operational incidents that we or third parties experience also increase our fraud risk. Additionally, our introduction of new products and services, expansion into new jurisdictions or usage of new partners or vendors may create new fraud risks or heighten existing risks. While we have policies and procedures designed to address fraud risks, such as customer authentication controls and fraud detection systems, they may be insufficient to accurately predict, prevent or detect fraud.
Increased fraudulent activity associated with our products and services could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations, including as a result of credit losses and other expenses. Furthermore, fraudulent activity could harm our brand and reputation, negatively impact the use or acceptance of our products and services and lead to regulatory intervention or other actions (such as mandatory card reissuance).