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Social Media ScamsThai authorities arrested a man who fraudulently solicited donations under the guise of a crime victim assistance organization, then misused the funds for illegal cockfighting gambling and online gambling activities. He faces multiple charges including fraud, computer crimes, and illegal gambling operations.
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Romance ScamsAccording to the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans lost $929 million to romance and relationship scams in 2025, a 38% increase from 2024. Adults aged 60 and older accounted for 44% of complaints but 63% of losses, with average losses around $57,000. Scammers increasingly use AI-generated messages and photos to build trust over weeks or months before pivoting to investment schemes.
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PhishingA new scam targeting businesses and individuals in Switzerland's Jura region involves fraudsters posing as firefighters to solicit money through phone calls. Scammers falsely claim to be raising funds for publication advertising or firefighter support. Authorities warn that these schemes do not exist and callers may be aggressive or persistent.
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Investment ScamsA woman in her 60s from Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, lost approximately 82 million yen in a sophisticated investment scam. Scammers posing as investment professionals on social media lured her into multiple transactions totaling 17 transfers over several months.
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Investment ScamsA 62-year-old man from Gauting, Germany fell victim to an online investment scam, losing over €25,000 to fraudsters. After clicking on an advertisement and providing his email and phone number, he was contacted by multiple women who convinced him to make four separate transfers to foreign bank accounts. Local police are warning residents about similar investment fraud schemes.
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Investment ScamsA 60-year-old man in Paphos, Cyprus, lost over €65,000 in a two-stage scam: first losing €51,326 in an online investment fraud, then losing an additional €14,000 to a recovery scammer who promised to return his money. Police have warned the public to exercise caution with online investments and only deal with authorized financial companies.
Read more →Cybercriminals are using AI to create convincing fake invitation emails that install malware when users click confirmation buttons. Once installed, remote access tools allow attackers to steal banking information, passwords, and personal data from victims' devices.
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PhishingSouth Korea's Jeonbuk Police Agency has launched a collaborative effort with Jeonju City to combat the rising wave of voice phishing scams and no-show fraud schemes targeting small business owners. A recent incident on September 29 saw scammers impersonating government officials, extracting millions of won from eight victims in a single day using SMS messages about welfare payments.
Read more →Elder ScamsPolice and senior advisory services in Gummersbach, Germany held a fraud prevention campaign on Senior Day to educate elderly citizens about shock call scams. Experts emphasized that hanging up immediately and calling police is the most effective defense against this growing threat targeting older adults.
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Elder ScamsLa Spezia, in northern Italy, has launched its third year of an official anti-fraud program targeting elderly citizens. Funded by the Interior Ministry, the initiative establishes dedicated listening centers and neighborhood patrols to combat increasingly sophisticated scams. The program combines public awareness education with direct social support to help vulnerable seniors.
Read more →Data from over 370 financial institutions worldwide shows a 35% increase in banking fraud attempts over the past 12 months. Investment scams cause the highest average losses at $6,600 per case, while employment scams have surged 258%. Banks using behavioral intelligence are successfully detecting fraud signals before transactions are authorized.
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PhishingA scam targeting residents in Argentina is spreading across social media and WhatsApp, falsely offering gas bill discounts from utility company Camuzzi. Victims are tricked into sharing personal data and banking information, with scammers posing as company representatives to facilitate money transfers or gain access to mobile devices.
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PhishingUruguayan authorities dismantled two coordinated criminal networks that combine violent robbery with electronic fraud. Reports of scams and cybercrime have surged 1,250% over the past decade, making digital fraud the third most reported crime category by 2024. Criminal organizations exploit stolen credit cards and bank details through encrypted dark web platforms to conduct high-profit, low-risk illegal activities.
Read more →AI Voice ScamsFideuram, a private banking subsidiary of Italy's largest bank Intesa Sanpaolo, fell victim to a €95 million fraud scheme in February 2026. Scammers impersonated the bank's top executives via WhatsApp and used AI-generated voice cloning to pose as a lawyer, deceiving the president into authorizing international wire transfers. While €53 million was recovered through international cooperation, over €36 million remains missing after conversion to cryptocurrency.
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Investment ScamsA investment scam targeting Brazilian users falsely uses the name and image of prominent businessman Luciano Hang. Scammers combine AI-generated images with fake news articles to lure users to fraudulent investment platforms promising daily returns of up to 10,000 reais. Both Hang and his company have denied any connection.
Read more →AI-generated voice clone fraud is becoming increasingly common, with one in four Americans reporting receiving a deepfake voice call in the past year. ESET experts recommend a simple, free defense: establishing a pre-agreed family security word to verify the caller's identity.
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Investment ScamsThe UAE, chairing the MENAFATF working group, proposes a regional initiative to study fraud patterns and associated money laundering across the Middle East and North Africa. The initiative aims to build a shared knowledge base on fraud types, methods, and detection tools while strengthening cross-border cooperation among member states to combat increasingly sophisticated digital fraud schemes.
Read more →PhishingAccording to Brazilian research, 32% of internet users have experienced fraud attempts using personal data, with 20% becoming actual victims. Criminals now use real personal information to build credible false narratives, impersonating banks, delivery services, and lawyers to steal money. AI-generated deepfakes have added another layer to these scams.
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Romance ScamsTaiwanese authorities uncovered a human trafficking case where a criminal organization recruited three minors as recruiters. The gang lured victims through social media job postings and detained them for alleged organ harvesting. Experts point out that lighter criminal penalties for minors make them targets for exploitation by organized crime groups.
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Investment ScamsHanoi Police have warned of an increasing number of investment fraud scams where criminal groups impersonate legitimate securities companies and fund management firms. They create fake websites mimicking official platforms and use social media to lure investors into accounts controlled by fraudsters, then demand additional payments under the guise of taxes and fees.
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