The Latest Scams You Need to Be Aware of

• QR code phishing is up 360%, with over 4.2 million global attempts.
• AI-generated scams using deepfake audio, video, and texts now mimic real people almost flawlessly.
• Impersonation scams rose 148% in 2025, targeting users via fake bank, government, or family messages.

• Accounts for over 33% of crypto fraud globally.
• Scammers build trust over weeks or months before persuading victims to invest in fake platforms.
• Growing 40% YoY, this scam is emotionally devastating and financially catastrophic.

 

• U.S. investors lost $3.7 billion in July 2025 alone.
• Scammers push low-value stocks online, inflate prices, then vanish as prices crash.

 

• Criminals use voice AI to mimic relatives (like a grandchild needing bail).
• Long Island residents alone lost $126 million through these scams in 2024.

 

• International students are threatened with arrest or deportation unless they pay.
• Over $5 million stolen across just five months in early 2025.

 

• Scammers make WhatsApp or video calls posing as police or embassy officials.
• Victims are panicked into making instant crypto or wire transfers.

 

• Pop-ups warn of malware, urging you to call fake hotlines.
• Scammers ask for remote access or payment in crypto or gift cards.
• Classic “Nigerian prince” style email scams still exist—often targeting older users.

 

• Fake texts (“smishing”) now use AI to craft realistic language.
• Even AI-generated search results can display fake customer service numbers.

• Scammers repost legitimate rental ads and ask for advance payments.
• Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace reported over 1,200 cases in 2024 in Australia alone.

 

• Fake travel agencies or influencers promote ultra-cheap trips, then disappear.
• U.S. victims lost thousands through phony cruise promotions on TikTok.

 

• Hackers mimic executives and suppliers, demanding invoice payments.
• Cost Aussie small businesses $91 million in 2024.

 

• AI & Deepfakes: Used to simulate real voices and faces.
• Social Engineering: Scammers know your habits, job, and family.
• Crypto Use: Unregulated, fast, and non-refundable.
• Breach Data: Used to personalise scam attempts.

• “Urgent” payment demands or threats
• Crypto or gift card payments
• Slightly wrong URLs or QR codes
• Social media “investment” messages from friends
• Someone asking for login codes, passwords, or verification links

 

• Faster social engineering: Scammers run playbooks across WhatsApp/Telegram/SMS, rotate domains hourly, and automate first-touch scripts.
• Better deepfakes: Cheap voice/video cloning lowers the bar for “urgent” payment requests that bypass link-based phishing tells. The Wall Street Journal
• Shifting rails: Bank transfers, PayID/Zelle, and crypto are favoured for speed and irreversibility; both FTC and NASC note high losses tied to bank/crypto rails. Federal Trade CommissionACCC

 

• Big returns, pressure to move money fast, or being steered to off-platform payments (crypto, wire, PayID/Zelle).
• Verification codes or scripted ID checks sent over chat.
• “Finance adviser/HR/recruiter” contacts who can’t meet on official channels or verify licensing.
• Invoice/settlement changes arriving by email without a secondary check.

1. Pause & verify the person/company on a second, official channel (bank number on the back of your card; business’s website).
2. Payments: Prefer rails with buyer protection; avoid crypto/gift cards/bank transfers to strangers.
3. Accounts: Use a password manager + phishing-resistant 2FA; lock SIM swaps with your telco.
4. Investments: Check licences (ASIC/SEC/FINRA); distrust unsolicited “mentors.”
5. If you lose money:
   • Australia: Report to ReportCyber and Scamwatch, then contact your bank for a payment recall; consult IDCARE for identity support.
   • United States: Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IC3.gov; work with your bank/card issuer on disputes and account locks.

• Out-of-band approvals for any payment or bank-detail change (no exceptions).
• Alert keywords in email security (urgency, secrecy, beneficiary changes).
• CFO/C-suite deepfake drills and staff training; require call-backs to known numbers for high-risk payments.

 

• Australia 2024 (combined data): Investment A$945.0m; Romance A$156.8m; Payment redirection A$152.6m; Remote access A$106.0m; Phishing A$84.5m. Total combined losses: A$2.03b.
• United States 2024: Total consumer fraud losses US $12.5b (FTC), with investment scams leading at US $5.7b; IC3 totals US $16.6b across cyber-enabled crimes, including US $2.77b BEC, US $1.46b tech-support, and US $6.57b investment.