SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
SCARS Institute Scam Warnings – Top 20 Scams Fraud & Cybercrime
Scam Warnings: The digital age has brought countless conveniences, but it has also created a playground for sophisticated and relentless fraud. From romance scams to cryptocurrency fraud, today’s scammers operate with advanced tools, global reach, and psychological precision. Their tactics continue to evolve, exploiting emotional, financial, and social vulnerabilities with alarming success. Victims span every demographic, but certain groups—such as older adults and financially insecure individuals—are especially targeted and disproportionately harmed.
Modern scams are no longer based on simple lies. They are crafted with psychological manipulation, artificial intelligence, and detailed knowledge of human behavior. These criminals impersonate loved ones, forge government identities, and create the illusion of financial opportunity, all while operating anonymously. The harm they cause extends beyond monetary loss. Victims often suffer lasting emotional trauma, identity damage, and profound distrust.
This Scam Warnings List outlines the major categories of scams as they currently appear across the digital landscape. Each type represents a growing threat, supported by real statistics and patterns from 2023 through 2025. Understanding how each scam operates is a first step toward prevention, but it also highlights the need for stronger public awareness, digital literacy, and institutional response. These scams, fraud, & cybercrimes are not isolated events. They are part of a global ecosystem of deception that continues to grow.
2025 SCAM WARNINGS LIST
Romance Scams
Scammers create fake profiles on dating apps or social media, building trust with victims through emotional manipulation. They pose as romantic partners, often using stolen or AI-generated images, and request money for emergencies or investments. In 2025, these scams escalate with deepfake video calls, deceiving victims into sending large sums. Older adults are losing the most. Scammers exploit vulnerabilities, promising love but leaving victims financially and emotionally devastated.
Investment Scams/Pig Butchering
Fraudsters lure victims with promises of high returns on investments, often in cryptocurrency or fake stocks. They use social media or phishing emails to share fake profit reports, encouraging larger deposits. In 2024, the FTC noted* $6.5 billion in losses, a 21% increase from 2023. Scammers vanish when victims attempt withdrawals, charging exorbitant fees. They target financially vulnerable individuals, exploiting trust with professional-looking websites. Victims can protect themselves by consulting financial advisors and verifying platforms.
Imposter Scams
Criminals impersonate government officials, businesses, or celebrities to trick victims into sending money or personal information. They use AI-generated calls or emails to mimic trusted entities, claiming urgent issues like tax debts or account breaches. The FTC reported* $2.7 billion in losses in 2023, with government imposter scams spiking in 2024. Scammers exploit fear, demanding immediate payments via wire transfers. Victims should verify identities through official channels. Awareness of red flags, like unsolicited demands, helps to prevent financial loss.
Cryptocurrency Scams/Fraud
Scammers exploit the popularity of cryptocurrencies, promoting fake investment schemes or giveaways. They use phishing attacks to access crypto wallets or trick victims into fraudulent exchanges. The FBI reported* $9.3 billion in losses in 2024, a 66% rise from 2023. Fake platforms like Celestia.bet deceive users with promises of quick profits. Victims lose funds when platforms disappear. Researching platforms and avoiding unsolicited crypto offers protect consumers.
Sextortion Scams
Cybercriminals pose as romantic interests or friends, tricking victims into sharing explicit photos or videos. They then demand payments, threatening to expose the material to family or friends. The FBI noted* $13.6 million in losses in 2021, with a rise in 2024. AI-generated images make these scams more convincing. Victims, often embarrassed, hesitate to report. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline offers resources.
Phishing and Smishing
Scammers send fraudulent emails or texts mimicking banks, companies, or government agencies, tricking victims into sharing personal information or clicking malicious links. AI enhances their realism, with 2024 seeing $1.4 billion* in social media scam losses. Texts may pose as wrong-number messages or urgent alerts. Victims risk identity theft or malware infections. Using email filters (SPF, DKIM) and avoiding unknown links protect users.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Fraudsters hack or spoof business emails, posing as executives or vendors to request wire transfers or sensitive data. In 2024, BEC scams caused $2.7 billion in losses, per the FBI*. They target businesses with weak email security, exploiting trust in professional communication. Scammers use social engineering to craft convincing requests. Implementing dual authorization for payments and verifying emails prevent losses.
Tech Support Scams
Scammers pose as tech support from companies like Microsoft, claiming devices are compromised. They use pop-up alerts or calls to demand payments for fake fixes, costing $1.4 billion in 2024, per the FBI*. AI-driven calls sound authentic, tricking victims into granting remote access. Victims lose money and risk data theft. Avoiding unsolicited tech support and verifying companies through official channels protects consumers.
SIM Swap Scams
Criminals impersonate victims to phone providers, transferring phone numbers to their SIM cards to intercept two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. In 2025, these scams target bank accounts and crypto wallets, causing significant losses. Scammers use social engineering or insider help to execute swaps. Victims lose account access and funds. Securing accounts with biometrics and monitoring for service disruptions prevent attacks.
Ransomware Attacks
Cybercriminals deploy malware to lock systems or encrypt data, demanding cryptocurrency ransoms for access. The FBI reported a 9% rise in complaints in 2024, targeting critical infrastructure. Businesses lost $4.35 million* on average per breach in 2022. Scammers exploit security gaps, causing widespread disruption. Regular backups, updated software, and employee training reduce risks.
Online Shopping Scams
Fraudsters create fake e-commerce sites or social media listings, offering discounted goods that never arrive. Santander reported £18 million* in UK losses in Q1 2025. Scammers use stolen credit cards for triangulation fraud, deceiving buyers. Victims lose money and personal data. Shopping on verified platforms and using credit cards for protection minimizes risks.
Grandparent Scams
Scammers impersonate grandchildren or relatives, claiming emergencies like arrests or medical issues to demand money. AI voice cloning makes calls convincing, with $2.7 million in losses in 2024, per the FBI*. They target older adults, exploiting emotional bonds. Victims lose savings to wire transfers. Verifying identities through direct contact prevents losses.
Fake Lotto & Sweepstakes Scams
Criminals claim victims won prizes but require personal information or fees to claim them. The FTC noted* these as a top 2023 scam, with median losses of $7,700. Scammers use fake letters or calls to steal data for identity theft. Victims lose money and privacy. Avoiding unsolicited prize offers and verifying claims protects consumers.
Job Opportunity Scams
Scammers offer fake jobs, requesting payments for training or equipment, or involve victims in money laundering as “mules.” The BBB reported* a rise in 2024, targeting job seekers. Some sources now report that more than 50% of all online job announcements are fake. Victims lose money and risk legal liability. Researching employers and avoiding upfront payments prevent scams.
Deepfake Fraud
Criminals use AI-generated deepfake videos or voices to impersonate trusted individuals, requesting money or data. Experian noted* a 704% surge in face-swap fraud in 2023. Scammers target financial accounts or sensitive systems. Victims lose funds and trust. Using biometrics and avoiding unsolicited requests protect users.
QR Bar Code Scams
Scammers place fake QR codes in public or send them via text, redirecting victims to malicious sites that steal data or trigger payments. These scams exploit digital payment trends, with rising incidents in 2025. Victims lose personal information and money. Avoiding unfamiliar QR codes and verifying sources prevent attacks.
Account Takeover (ATO) Fraud
Cybercriminals use stolen credentials to access accounts, often via credential stuffing or phishing. They steal funds or data, costing $70,811 per victim in 2022. Automation makes these attacks scalable. Victims face financial loss and identity theft. Strong passwords and 2FA reduce risks.
Charity Fraud
Scammers create fake GoFundMe campaigns or social media appeals, exploiting generosity. Experian predicts a surge in 2025, targeting emotional triggers. Victims lose donations to fraudulent causes. Verifying charities through reputable platforms like GuideStar prevents losses.
Toll Scams
Fraudsters send texts or emails claiming unpaid tolls, demanding payments via links. The FBI reported $129,624 in losses in 2024. These scams exploit trust in routine services. Victims risk data theft and financial loss. Avoiding unsolicited payment links and verifying toll agencies protect consumers. Reporting to the FTC helps stop scammers.
A2P Fraud
Criminals use application-to-person (A2P) messaging to send phishing texts or malware, targeting mobile users. Rising in 2025, these scams exploit SMS vulnerabilities. Victims lose personal data or funds. Using anti-phishing tools and avoiding unknown texts prevent attacks. Reporting to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov aids in tracking and stopping fraudsters.
REFERENCE
Basis for the List of Top 20 Most Serious Scams, Fraud, and Cybercrime for July 2025
The list of the top 20 most serious scams, fraud, and cybercrime for July 2025 was compiled based on the following criteria and sources, focusing on their prevalence, financial impact, and societal harm as understood from available information up to July 12, 2025:
- Prevalence and Financial Impact: The selection prioritizes scams and cybercrimes that are widely reported as significant threats in 2025, causing substantial economic losses or affecting large numbers of victims. This includes data from government agencies like the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which track complaint volumes and losses for scams like romance scams, investment fraud, and ransomware. For example, romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud are noted for high victim counts and losses, making them top priorities.
- Emerging Trends: The list incorporates recent trends in scam and cybercrime tactics, particularly those leveraging advanced technologies like AI and deepfakes, as reported in consumer protection sources (e.g., AARP, Experian). For instance, deepfake fraud and QR code scams are included due to their rising prominence in 2025.
- Societal and Emotional Harm: Scams causing significant psychological or social damage, such as sextortion or grandparent scams, are prioritized based on their emotional toll on vulnerable groups (e.g., elderly, youth), as highlighted by organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Consumer Protection Reports: Sources like Santander, BBB, and tech-focused analyses (e.g., on A2P fraud) provide insights into evolving scam types, ensuring the list reflects current threats. These sources emphasize scams like online shopping fraud and toll scams, which exploit everyday activities.
- Legislative and Enforcement Context: Recent laws, such as the Romance Scam Prevention Act (2025), and DOJ enforcement priorities inform the inclusion of scams like romance fraud, which have gained legislative attention.
Ordering of the List
The list is ordered based on a combination of severity (financial and emotional impact), prevalence (frequency of occurrence), and technological sophistication (use of advanced methods like AI), with higher placement given to scams affecting broader populations or causing greater harm in 2025:
- Romance Scams (1): Ranked first due to their high financial losses and severe emotional impact, exploiting trust and vulnerability. Their prominence in consumer reports and legislative focus (e.g., Romance Scam Prevention Act) justifies top placement.
- Investment Scams (2): Second for their massive economic impact, targeting financial aspirations with sophisticated schemes, especially in cryptocurrency, which dominates 2025 fraud reports.
- Imposter Scams (3): Third due to their widespread occurrence and exploitation of trust in institutions, affecting diverse groups with significant losses.
- Cryptocurrency Fraud (4): Fourth for its overlap with investment scams but distinct due to its tech-driven nature and rapid growth in 2025, leveraging blockchain hype.
- Sextortion Scams (5): Fifth for their severe psychological harm, especially to youth, and increasing use of AI to enhance credibility.
- Phishing and Smishing (6): Sixth due to their high volume and role as entry points for other cybercrimes (e.g., ransomware, ATO), affecting millions daily.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC) (7): Seventh for targeting businesses with high financial stakes, requiring professional trust exploitation.
- Tech Support Scams (8): Eighth due to their persistence and focus on less tech-savvy victims, with significant losses but less sophistication than BEC.
- SIM Swap Scams (9): Ninth for their targeted, high-impact theft of financial accounts, requiring advanced social engineering.
- Ransomware Attacks (10): Tenth for their critical infrastructure impact and high costs, though slightly lower due to their technical complexity limiting victim scope.
- Online Shopping Scams (11): Eleventh for their widespread reach via e-commerce, affecting consumers broadly but with moderate individual losses.
- Grandparent Scams (12): Twelfth due to their emotional manipulation of elderly victims, with significant but less widespread impact than shopping scams.
- Fake Sweepstakes Scams (13): Thirteenth for exploiting hope but with lower financial impact compared to grandparent scams.
- Job Opportunity Scams (14): Fourteenth for targeting job seekers, with added legal risks (e.g., money muling), but less prevalent than sweepstakes.
- Deepfake Fraud (15): Fifteenth due to its emerging nature and high-tech approach, with growing but not yet dominant impact.
- QR Code Scams (16): Sixteenth for their novelty and reliance on everyday technology, with moderate financial harm.
- Account Takeover (ATO) Fraud (17): Seventeenth due to its technical nature and reliance on prior breaches, affecting specific users.
- Charity Fraud (18): Eighteenth for exploiting generosity, with significant emotional but lower financial impact.
- Toll Scams (19): Nineteenth for their niche focus on drivers, with moderate losses but widespread annoyance.
- A2P Fraud (20): Twentieth due to its technical specificity and emerging status, with potential for growth but currently lower impact.
Limitations and Notes
- Source Basis: The list is based on aggregated insights from consumer protection agencies (e.g., FTC, FBI), industry reports (e.g., Santander, Experian), and legislative trends (e.g., Romance Scam Prevention Act), reflecting 2025’s scam landscape. No single source provides a definitive ranking, so the list synthesizes data on prevalence and impact.
- Ordering Rationale: The ranking prioritizes scams with higher victim counts, financial losses, or emotional harm, adjusted for technological trends (e.g., AI-driven scams). Exact loss figures or victim counts for July 2025 are unavailable, so the order relies on 2024 data trends and projections.
- Critical Evaluation: The ordering balances broad impact (e.g., romance scams) with emerging threats (e.g., deepfake fraud), but subjective weighting is involved due to incomplete 2025 data. Some scams (e.g., A2P fraud) may rise in severity later in 2025.
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Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
This list is astounding! This just shows the general public has no idea the lengths the criminals will go to for our financial resources. For some it could mean total devastation of their lives.