Top Scams to Watch Out for in 2025: A Warning from Google
Soaring Scam Alert: counterfeit travel websites, dishonest toll fee texts, and AI-elusive frauds lead Google's predicted 2025 deceitful activity escalation, potentially costing up to one trillion dollars.
As scammers grow more devious, online frauds are becoming tougher to spot. Despite our improved vigilance, these crafty tricksters are upgrading their tools and tactics to stay one step ahead. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, cybercriminals managed to pocket a whopping $1 trillion worldwide in 2024 alone, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting a 25% increase in fraud-related losses compared to the previous year in the US.
Now, Google has shed light on the most prevalent scam trends to look out for in 2025. Here are the top six scam trends Google has flagged:
- Fake Customer Support: Beware of bogus support agents claiming to be from trusted brands, reaching out via fake phone numbers to coax you into sharing sensitive information. Google has been cracking down on such activities by blocking ads for third-party tech support and providing official customer service information through Search. The latest version of Chrome now boasts AI-powered protection using the Gemini Nano large language model to secure users from harmful sites [Source: Google Blog Post].
- Malvertising: Scammers are embedding malware into online ads, particularly targeting individuals seeking free or pirated software. But they're not just aimed at software enthusiasts - cryptocurrency wallet owners and larger online followings are also in their crosshairs. Google relies on AI and manual checks to filter out harmful ads and permanently ban violators [Source: Google Blog Post].
- Fake Travel Websites: During the holiday season, scammers create convincing travel sites offering irresistible deals. These forgeries attempt to mimic real hotels and agencies to convince people into making booking payments for non-existent travel arrangements [Source: Newspaper Article].
- Package Tracking Scams: Leveraging the popularity of online shopping and home deliveries, these scams send fake messages pretending to be from trusted delivery companies. These messages typically attempt to fool people into paying extra fees that legitimate delivery services would never charge [Source: Newspaper Article].
- Toll Road Scams: As the surge in online shopping led to package tracking scams, the rise in cashless toll systems has bred a new form of fraud: toll road scams. Scammers send fake text messages claiming you owe unpaid toll fees through services like PayPal or Venmo. Keep an eye out for these messages, as legitimate delivery and toll companies will never ask you to pay via unconventional methods [Source: Newspaper Article].
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Tech enthusiast by day, avid gamer by night. Bringing together my passions for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
In the evolving landscape of technology and online fraud, cybercriminals may devise fraudulent schemes offering data-and-cloud-computing and cybersecurity discounts to infiltrate systems. Meanwhile, be cautious when browsing the web, as malicious ads might contain malware, targeting software enthusiasts, cryptocurrency wallet owners, and larger online followings (Source: Google Blog Post).
