January 2025: The Rise of the AI “Grandparent” Voice Scam
Stuart Glover
January saw a terrifying peak in AI voice cloning. Scammers began using three-second clips from social media to replicate a family member’s voice, calling elderly victims to claim they were…
Scams
February 2025: Romance Scams 2.0 and Deepfake Dating
Around Valentine’s Day, romance scams took a high-tech turn. Fraudsters utilized real-time deepfake video filters during video calls to maintain their fake personas, making the “catfishing” nearly impossible to detect.…
March 2025: Tax Season Phishing and AI Document Fraud
As tax deadlines approached in March, a new wave of highly sophisticated IRS impersonation scams emerged. Fraudsters used AI to generate perfect replicas of tax forms and official correspondence, bypassing…
April 2025: QR Code “Quishing” in Public Spaces
April saw the explosion of “Quishing” (QR Phishing). Scammers placed stickers over legitimate QR codes on parking meters, restaurant menus, and public charging stations. When scanned, these codes directed users…
May 2025: The “Help Desk” Remote Access Scam
In May, the tech support scam evolved. Using AI-driven search engine manipulation, scammers ensured their fake “Help Desk” numbers appeared at the top of Google results for popular software. Victims…
June 2025: Travel and Vacation Rental Fraud
As summer travel kicked off in June, vacation rental scams hit record levels. Fraudsters used AI to generate professional-looking listings for luxury villas at “too good to be true” prices…
July 2025: The “Verification” 2FA Bypass Scam
July saw a spike in “2FA Fatigue” and interception scams. Scammers used automated bot services to call victims, posing as their bank’s fraud department. They told the victim they were…
August 2025: Student Loan and Education Scams
With the “Back to School” rush in August, student loan “forgiveness” scams flooded the market. Fraudsters targeted recent graduates with urgent emails claiming they were eligible for immediate debt erasure—for…
September 2025: Job Search and Recruitment Fraud
September saw a rise in “Ghost Jobs.” Scammers posted fake remote-work roles on major job boards to harvest resumes and personal data. Some took it further, conducting “interviews” over Telegram…
October 2025: Real Estate and Closing Cost Wire Fraud
October brought a surge in “Escrow Phishing.” Scammers monitored public property records to identify homes nearing closing. They then sent perfectly timed emails to the buyers, impersonating their title company…
November 2025: Black Friday Package Delivery Scams
During the Black Friday shopping frenzy, “package delivery” scams peaked. Victims received SMS messages claiming their “Amazon” or “FedEx” package was delayed and required a $1 redelivery fee. Clicking the…
December 2025: Charity Scams and Holiday “Gift” Fraud
The year ended with a flood of fake charity appeals. Scammers used AI to generate moving stories and images of disaster victims to solicit donations via crypto or wire transfer.…
Bitcoin: A Decentralized Revolution in Digital Currency
Introduction In the world of finance and technology, few innovations have caused as much excitement and controversy as Bitcoin. Since its inception in 2009, Bitcoin has captivated the imagination of…
The Amazon Scam
There are many different scams that can occur on Amazon, but one common type of scam is the “Amazon phishing scam,” where a scammer will send an email or a…
Social Engineering
Social engineering is a technique used by hackers and scammers to manipulate individuals into divulging sensitive information or performing actions that may be detrimental to their own interests. This technique…
The Rebait Scam
Online scams are nothing new, but there’s a new one that’s making the rounds called the “Rebait Scam.” This scam is designed to trick unsuspecting victims into handing over their…