diff --git a/.changeset/fix-network-error-cache-fallback.md b/.changeset/fix-network-error-cache-fallback.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f11efdb2ad0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-network-error-cache-fallback.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@clerk/clerk-js': patch
+---
+
+Fix issue where network errors were being masked by fraud protection logic, preventing cache fallback from triggering properly.
diff --git a/packages/clerk-js/src/core/fraudProtection.ts b/packages/clerk-js/src/core/fraudProtection.ts
index 6051f5d8010..8dcac4aebed 100644
--- a/packages/clerk-js/src/core/fraudProtection.ts
+++ b/packages/clerk-js/src/core/fraudProtection.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { ClerkRuntimeError, isClerkAPIResponseError } from '@clerk/shared/error';
+import { ClerkRuntimeError, isClerkAPIResponseError, isClerkRuntimeError } from '@clerk/shared/error';
 
 import { CaptchaChallenge } from '../utils/captcha/CaptchaChallenge';
 import type { Clerk } from './resources/internal';
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ export class FraudProtection {
         throw e;
       }
 
+      // Network errors should bypass captcha logic and be re-thrown immediately
+      // so cache fallback can be triggered
+      if (isClerkRuntimeError(e) && e.code === 'network_error') {
+        throw e;
+      }
+
       if (e.errors[0]?.code !== 'requires_captcha') {
         throw e;
       }