Online scams are becoming more sophisticated every year, and scammers now freely use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to deceive people and companies. 

Did you know that last year, the estimated cost of cybercrime in the United States went up to 452.3 billion dollars? In 2023, the number of complaints concerning cyber crimes was 880.420. Can you guess the most used contact method of these tech villains? That’s right, emails. 

Digital threats are growing more complex, so it’s important to understand these schemes and how to protect yourself and your business. 

The evolution of online threats 

Online fraud is an intentional action by threat actors to trick the targets into potentially harmful actions that can lead to victims losing money and personal information or other damage. 

It’s considered cybercrime, but there’s a main difference from other online inadmissibilities–it tricks victims into performing harmful actions voluntarily. So, put like that, it seems like you can defend yourself and your company easily, you just need to know what to avoid. Gaining control should be nearly effortless, as long as you educate yourself.

Historically, online scams started in a very rudimentary way, and are often characterized by poorly written emails and recognizable fraudulent websites. Still remember that unfortunate Nigerian prince or a lady who wants to leave you her heritage as long as you pay some transfer fee? 

You can ask any celeb fan out there how many times their ‘idol’ came to their inbox asking for money for new guitars or food. Even though we live in the time of technology that only science fiction novels could dream about, some people never left the basics. 

However, other people are taking all the advantage they can, following the advances of technology, which means that today we have pretty much everything–from highly convincing crafts to personalized schemes. Even the one empowered by your boss’s voice, telling you to transfer money to an unknown account. In the middle of the night. From a suspicious location. 

These advancements have done what they could to blur the lines between legitimate communications and fraudulent attempts.

Strategies for audience protection 

So, how can you protect your audience from these scammers? Here are a couple of proven ways. 

Protection through technology 

You’re now dealing with advanced technologies when fighting fraud, so you need software that can protect you and your data 24/7. Something AI-driven would probably be the best, since they can proactively identify and mitigate potential threats. 

For instance, your software can allow online stores to automatically accept or decline payments to lower the risk of chargebacks and other types of fraud. 

Not sure which type of software you need? You can see these reviews and decide based on their features and the business you own. Most of this software will run in the background as customers visit the e-shop, look at the products, and so on. Not all are created equal, so keep in mind they don’t cover every touchpoint when you take your pick. Still, you’ll want something that disrupts your customers’ shopping to the minimum.

Next comes collaboration with authorities. You’ll want someone strong and resourceful at your back. These organizations are continuously informed about the latest threats and best practices. And when you report scams and collaborate in investigations, you contribute to broader efforts in combating cybercrime.

Avoiding human errors 

You also don’t want to miss a chance to educate your employees. As we have learned so far, not even the best technology can do much to help you if the human factor is lacking. The best practice is to combine the two, so use every chance you get to host webinars, create informative content, and share real-world examples to enhance awareness and preparedness. 

For instance, have you heard about data exposure at Pegasus Airlines? In March 2022, this Airline left a large amount of sensitive data unprotected. The exposed AWS S3 bucket belonging to this company held sensitive flight data linked to their flight system software. Without it, pilots wouldn’t be able to manage in-flight processes and use flight charts and navigation materials, and all crew PII and software source code would be lost. Not to mention all the data they had on passengers. 

Fortunately, they were informed on time so no lasting consequences are known. Why did it happen? Employee negligence and human error were the primary sources. In more detail, the company’s system administrator made a mistake and didn’t properly configure the cloud environment, thus leaving sensitive data without password protection. This probably happened because of a lack of training in managing data.

How can you avoid human error?

Do your best to enforce strong security policies that address data protection, communication protocols, and incident response. To be honest, mistakes are going to happen eventually because that is the fate of all hard-working people, and having a plan on how to respond to that and minimize the damage is going to be very important when the time comes. 

It may happen only once, but this one time is going to count–will you survive, proving to your audience you can be trustworthy, or you’re going to sink like the Titanic? Make sure that all stakeholders are familiar with these policies and understand their roles in keeping security in check. 

Teach your personnel to be sceptical and cautious and to always question strange communications. The best way to do that is through trusted channels.

Predominant online scams in 2025

With the rise of AI and other technologies, we are witnessing some pretty scary types of fraud in the 2020s.

AI-powered phishing attacks 

Did you know that nearly nine million phishing attacks were detected last year, all around the world? With AI, these attacks have become more personalized and harder to detect. 

AI algorithms analyze publicly available data, then craft messages that mimic legitimate communications with worrying accuracy. These emails often tell you to give away sensitive information or to click on malicious links.

Imagine getting an email from Netflix, with their logo and everything, informing you that your account will be blocked unless you provide some identification points. First of all, don’t panic, remember to verify communication through trusted channels, and use multi-factor authentication. 

Businesses looking to prepare their teams for these scenarios can turn to security awareness solutions provider like Adaptive, which runs AI-powered phishing simulations that train employees to spot exactly these kinds of convincing fakes before they click.

Deepfake impersonations 

Where AI excels the most is in Deepfake technology. That means creating realistic audio and video recordings, so people can impersonate your trusted dearlies convincingly. What they usually ask is for fund transfers and the dissemination of false information. 

In this case, no matter how afraid of your manager you might be, implement code words or secondary verification methods. Call them through a trusted channel, even if it means waking them in the middle of the night. 

Restrict the amount of personal information shared publicly so you’re less likely to become the target. And use detection tools. Some software is pretty crafty when it comes to discovering deepfake content. 

Social media impersonations 

Fake profiles on social media platforms can impersonate individuals or organizations. Why are they doing that? No fame and no glory–they only want money. Or your personal data, so they can get your money.

The best course of action is to report and remove fake profiles through platform-specific mechanisms. If you have a business where fake profiles are likely to show up, it’s best to find software that excels at fighting them. 

Tech support fraud 

Recently, tech support fraud took over the internet. You would get a message about your device being compromised, or your social media account, offering to fix issues. Just click here and verify it’s really you. 

These scams often come in the form of pop-up messages or calls that demand immediate action. In this case, employ your scepticism and verify support requests through official channels. 

And don’t give remote access to your device unless you have checked the support representative’s identity and legitimacy. 

QR code exploitation 

Using QR codes for your business? Be careful of their exploitation. Scammers can create malicious codes that initiate unauthorized downloads or redirect users to fraudulent websites. 

Don’t scan everything just because you can. Be cautious of QR codes in public places. Some apps will give you a preview of the URL before opening, so you can assess the link’s safety. Don’t share personal info on platforms you accessed via unsolicited QR codes.