FBI IC3: AI-Enhanced Phishing and Smishing Target Election Officials and Voters
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Scam Radar
Smishing scams: latest SMS + QR code phishing cases
Smishing accounted for the bulk of consumer fraud reports in 2024-2025. We catalogue the active campaigns: fake delivery slots, bank fraud-alert traps, tax-refund lures, and QR-code phishing at parking meters and restaurant tables.
Recent cases and patterns
Scammers use your name in a single-question text to start a conversation you should never reply to
A text that contains only your name and a question mark is a deliberate hook used by scammers who buy breached contact lists. The goal is to make you reply "Who is this?" or "Wrong number" so they...
Facebook Marketplace scam uses your name and number to bait replies
Scammers are sending iMessage texts that include a fake Facebook Marketplace listing showing the recipient's own name as the seller. The personalized screenshot acts as a 'conversation lure',...
Modern phishing evades traditional red flags with QR codes, AI lures and token theft
Phishing has moved far beyond typos and dodgy URLs. Attackers now use polished, AI-tailored language, QR codes that hide destinations, and tricks like ConsentFix and ClickFix that hijack legitimate...
Been told to pay at a Bitcoin ATM? Read this first
Crypto ATM scams are surging: the FBI logged 13,460 cases costing $389M in 2025, with victims over 60 accounting for $257M. Scammers call out of the blue pretending to be police, tax officers or bank...
Fake parcel delivery messages steal card and bank details
Scammers impersonate postal services such as USPS, Poste Italiane, Correos, Chronopost and bpost, sending fake delivery failure notices that demand a small customs or redelivery fee. The link routes...
T-Mobile rewards points expiry texts are a phishing scam
Since May 2026, a large SMS phishing campaign has impersonated T-Mobile, falsely telling recipients that their rewards points (typically 18,400) are about to expire. The messages use rotating...
Fake QR codes on parking meters: scam alert and how to stay safe
Scammers are sticking their own QR code stickers over legitimate ones on parking meters, hoping drivers in a hurry will scan and pay. Instead of a real parking payment page, the fake QR code leads to...
Wrong-number text scam: why replying makes you a premium target for fraudsters
Replying to a 'wrong number' text confirms your number is active and signals you're a polite, responsive person — exactly the profile scammers want. Large-scale operations use AI to hold thousands of...
Quishing: how QR-code phishing slips past corporate security and what to do about it
Quishing , or QR-code phishing, has surged as attackers exploit the fact that QR codes move victims from a protected corporate computer onto a personal phone with weaker security controls. A...
WhatsApp account takeover scam uses vote for my friend trick to hijack accounts via Linked Devices
A new WhatsApp scam tricks victims into giving attackers access to their accounts by posing as a friend asking for a vote online. The message—often sent from an already-compromised contact—links to a...
Switzerland (NCSC): top reported scams 2026 — phishing, fake-support calls, investment fraud, parcel & 'chief' smishing
Switzerland's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) consistently reports phishing, fake bank/Microsoft 'support' calls, investment fraud (fake brokers/crypto), parcel/customs smishing, and...
QR-code phishing ('quishing') is among the fastest-growing threats of 2026 — across email, letters, parking, restaurants
Quishing hides a phishing link inside a QR code, bypassing many link filters and exploiting trust in physical/printed codes. Vectors in 2026: fake 'secure document' or MFA-reset emails, stickers...
Toll & traffic-violation smishing evolves to QR 'quishing' (2026): fake unpaid-toll texts now hide a QR to a card-stealing page
The 'unpaid toll' / 'traffic violation' text scam (E-ZPass, road tolls, parking fines) remains one of the highest-volume smishing campaigns. As people learned to distrust links in texts, 2026...
Caller-ID / number spoofing: ~64% of phone & text fraud, ~EUR 850M/yr, sold as 'spoofing-as-a-service' (Europol)
Europol warns that caller-ID and SMS sender-ID spoofing now underpins roughly 64% of reported phone/text fraud and costs an estimated EUR 850M globally per year, offered by organised networks as...
Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty
Scammers are impersonating court officials and law enforcement to threaten you with arrest for missing jury duty, pressuring you to pay a fine on the spot. They use phone calls, texts, and emails...
Phishing campaign steals Signal backup recovery keys via fake support messages
Criminals are targeting Signal users with SMS phishing that impersonates Signal Support and tricks victims into handing over their 64-character backup recovery key. Once shared, attackers can...
How are scammers trying to reach you
Scammers reach out through texts, phone calls, social media ads, and direct messages, so anyone with a phone or a social account is a likely target. Their first contact is designed to build trust...
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