ScamSecurityCheck Q1 2026 Threat Bulletin

Who Scammers Are Targeting Right Now — And How They're Doing It

Published: March 2026 | Coverage Period: January – March 2026 Source Data: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network, FBI IC3, BBB Scam Tracker, AARP, Norton Research, Trend Micro, Hiya State of the Call 2026, Global Anti-Scam Alliance, CNC Intelligence

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The Big Picture

Global scam losses have reached an estimated $442 billion per year, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Feedzai's 2025 report — more than the GDP of most developed nations. In the U.S. alone, consumers reported losing $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase over the prior year. After adjusting for underreporting, the FTC estimates actual American losses at $196 billion in a single year.

Three groups are being hit hardest right now: women, seniors, and job seekers. The scams targeting each group are different in execution but share a common thread — they exploit trust, urgency, and emotional connection using increasingly sophisticated AI tools.

This bulletin breaks down what's happening to each group, the real stories behind the numbers, and what you can do about it.

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SECTION 1: WOMEN UNDER ATTACK

By the Numbers

• 70% of convicted online romance fraud offenders primarily targeted female victims (Taylor & Francis study of 50 convicted cases)
• 26% more likely to be targeted by financial fraudsters overall (FTC)
• Two-thirds of all identity theft cases targeted women (ACCAN/IDCARE, 4,000 cases analyzed)
• $1.16 billion lost to romance scams in the first 9 months of 2025 alone — up 22% over 2024 (FTC Consumer Sentinel Network)
• $2,218 median loss per romance scam victim in Q3 2025 (FTC)
• 98% of deepfake videos online are pornographic; 99% of those target women (2023 deepfake study)
• Reports of online violence or discrimination against women jumped 224.9% in 2025 (SaferNet)

What's Happening Right Now

Romance scams remain the single most financially devastating fraud category targeting women. The median loss per victim — $2,218 — is the highest of any imposter scam type tracked by the FTC. Scammers invest weeks or months building emotional trust before manufacturing a crisis.

AI has supercharged these scams. Deepfake-related fraud losses tripled from 2024 to 2025, reaching approximately $1.1 billion worldwide (SurfShark). Over 80% originated on social media platforms. Scammers now use AI-generated profile photos, automated emotionally manipulative conversations, and voice cloning to build trust faster than ever.

Sextortion targeting women is rising. Criminals use AI to create fake compromising images from publicly available social media photos, then threaten to release them unless a ransom is paid. Stalkerware — surveillance software secretly installed on devices, often by current or former partners — saw reports surge 780% during the pandemic, and remains a persistent threat.

New tactics emerging in Q1 2026: Scammers are exploiting beauty influencer culture and seasonal promotions with fake giveaway links. "Vote for my child's contest" phishing schemes on Facebook and Instagram continue to harvest credentials from women in community and parenting groups.

Real Story: The Brad Pitt Deepfake

In early 2025, a French woman's story went viral after she revealed she had been scammed out of more than $800,000 by a criminal ring that convinced her she was in a romantic relationship with Brad Pitt. The scammers used AI-generated content and sophisticated manipulation to sustain the deception over an extended period, eventually claiming the actor was ill and needed money for medical procedures.

Real Story: The $1,200 Instagram Romance

McAfee documented the story of Maggie K., a 25-year-old computer programmer who lost $1,200 to a romance scam that began with a DM on Instagram. Over several months, the scammer built trust before asking for money. Her case illustrates that romance scams don't just target older adults — young, tech-savvy women are increasingly in the crosshairs.

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SECTION 2: SENIORS IN THE CROSSHAIRS

By the Numbers

• $2.4 billion lost by adults 60+ to fraud in 2024 — up from $600 million in 2020, a four-fold increase (FTC)
• Losses of $100,000+ by older adults jumped from $55 million to $445 million between 2020 and 2024 — an eight-fold increase (FTC/AARP)
• $1,298 average loss per senior phone scam victim (Hiya State of the Call 2026)
• 1 in 4 Americans received a deepfake voice call in the past 12 months (Hiya)
• Seniors 55+ lose triple the amount of younger adults to phone scams (Hiya)
• 67% of romance scams reported by victims 80+ resulted in monetary loss — the highest rate of any age group (FTC)
• $9,500 median romance scam loss for victims 80+ (FTC)
• Only 3 seconds of audio needed to clone a voice with up to 95% accuracy (McAfee)

What's Happening Right Now

AI voice cloning has transformed the grandparent scam into a crisis. What was once a crude impersonation — "Hi Grandma, it's me, I'm in trouble" — is now delivered in a near-perfect clone of an actual grandchild's voice. The FBI issued warnings in 2025 about scammers using AI to simulate kidnappings, demanding ransoms of $2,500 to $15,000. The Hiya State of the Call 2026 report found that seniors are losing triple what younger adults lose to phone scams.

Investment scams are the top fraud type by dollar amount for older adults. The FTC reports $744 million in investment scam losses by seniors in 2024 alone. Many of these scams now begin on social media with AI-generated deepfake videos of celebrities promoting fake platforms.

Recovery scams are the next wave. AARP's 2026 fraud forecast warns that scammers are now following up with previous victims, posing as law enforcement or government agencies offering to help recover stolen money — for a fee. These "re-scams" exploit the desperation of people who have already lost significant savings.

Tech support scams continue to disproportionately hit seniors, with reported losses growing 35% and the FTC noting that older adults are far more likely than younger people to fall victim to this category.

Real Story: Steve Beauchamp, 82 — $690,000 Lost to Deepfake Elon Musk

Steve Beauchamp, an 82-year-old retiree, drained his retirement fund after being targeted by a deepfake Elon Musk cryptocurrency scam. "I mean, the picture of him — it was him," he told reporters. "Whether it was AI making him say the things that he was saying, I really don't know. But as far as the picture, if somebody had said, 'Pick him out of a lineup,' that's him." He lost $690,000.

Real Story: Maurine Meleck, 82 — $200,000 Lost to Fake Doctor

In November 2025, 82-year-old Maurine Meleck lost $200,000 in retirement savings after communicating via Facebook Messenger with someone posing as a doctor who advised her to invest through a fictitious "Quantum Financial System." She now faces an uncertain financial future in an apartment where rent has nearly doubled. Police told her she would likely never get her money back.

Real Story: A 90-Year-Old Grandmother Stops Answering the Phone

From the Hiya State of the Call 2026 report: "My 90-year-old mother received a scam call with a deepfake voice of her grandson asking for money… she refused to answer the phone unless someone was there with her for many months." This single testimony captures how AI-powered scams don't just steal money — they steal a senior's connection to the outside world.

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SECTION 3: JOB SEEKERS GETTING SCAMMED AT SCALE

By the Numbers

• $518.2 million lost to job scams in the first 9 months of 2025 (FTC Consumer Sentinel Network)
• 110,653 job scam complaints filed in that same period (FTC)
• Task scam reports grew 485% in 2025 (CNC Intelligence / BBB Scam Tracker)
• $9,456 average loss per task scam victim in 2025 (CNC Intelligence)
• $8,900 average loss per job scam victim overall (Norton Research, November 2025)
• 33% of U.S. adults have encountered a job scam or suspicious posting (Norton)
• 1 in 4 people who encountered a job scam became victims (Norton)
• 90% of job scam victims reported losing money (Norton)
• 1.17 million U.S. workers laid off in 2025 — the most since the pandemic (AARP)
• Amazon was the most commonly impersonated employer, cited by 30% of victims (Norton)
• Job scam losses more than tripled from 2020 to 2023 (FTC)

What's Happening Right Now

Task scams are the dominant job fraud threat of 2026. These scams start with an unsolicited text or WhatsApp message offering simple remote work — rating products, "boosting" app engagement, "optimizing" listings. Victims complete sets of tasks, see fake earnings accumulate on a realistic-looking dashboard, then are told they must deposit their own money to continue or withdraw. The deposits escalate until the victim is locked out.

The FTC estimates task scams accounted for nearly 40% of all job scam reports by mid-2024, and the trajectory has only steepened. BBB Scam Tracker data shows task scam reports jumped 485% in 2025, averaging 14 reports per day.

The layoff environment is fueling vulnerability. With 1.17 million workers laid off in 2025, desperate job seekers are more susceptible to offers that seem too good to be true. The Identity Theft Resource Center warns that financial-relief scams — including fake job offers — will intensify as economic pressure continues.

AI is making fake job postings indistinguishable from real ones. Scammers use AI to build convincing company websites, generate realistic recruiter profiles, and conduct video interviews where the "hiring manager" is a deepfake. Norton's research found that Gen Z job seekers are more than twice as likely as Baby Boomers to encounter job scams (44% vs. 21%).

Cryptocurrency is the payment method of choice. Crypto losses from job scams hit $41 million in just the first half of 2024 — nearly double all of 2023. Victims are pressured to deposit crypto to "charge up" their accounts, making recovery virtually impossible.

Real Story: Dorothy from Georgia — $30,000 Lost

Dorothy, a Georgia woman looking for flexible part-time work due to health issues, received a text offering remote work. Over the following weeks, she deposited money in escalating increments to "complete tasks" and unlock her supposed earnings. She lost $30,000. The business documents sent to her carried a forged state seal — confirmed fake by the Maine Secretary of State's office. "I paid about $30,000 in small increments going up," she told investigators.

Real Story: A Berks County Grandmother — $220,000 Lost

A grandmother in Berks County, Pennsylvania, lost more than $220,000 to a task scam in just days. Even after she suspected fraud, the panic of trying to recover her deposits pushed her to keep paying. "I do cry sometimes at night," she said. "I've always been able to help my family..." Investigators say victims of these scams rarely recover their money.

Real Story: The $75,000 LinkedIn Task Scam

In December 2024, a victim reported to the BBB losing $75,000 to task scammers who impersonated Cloverstone Digital, a real digital marketing company. The initial contact came through LinkedIn — a platform job seekers inherently trust.

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THE AI FACTOR: WHAT'S CHANGED IN 2026

Across all three demographics, one trend connects every escalation: artificial intelligence.

• Voice cloning now requires just 3 seconds of audio to produce a clone with up to 95% accuracy (McAfee). Scammers harvest samples from social media videos, voicemail greetings, and recorded calls.
• Deepfake video files jumped from 500,000 in 2023 to 8 million in 2025 — a 900% annual growth rate (DeepStrike). 68% of video deepfakes cannot be distinguished from real footage by non-experts.
• Financial losses from deepfake-enabled fraud exceeded $200 million in Q1 2025 alone (Resemble AI). Deloitte projects AI-enabled fraud losses will reach $40 billion by 2027.
• KnowBe4 cybersecurity expert Roger Grimes predicts that by the end of 2026, deepfakes will be "the majority of the way scams are done."
• 77% of people who engaged with an AI-enabled scam call lost money (Hiya).

Experian's 2026 Future of Fraud Forecast identifies AI bots with high emotional IQs as an emerging threat — automated systems capable of carrying out romance scams and family emergency schemes with sophisticated emotional manipulation, at scale.

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PROTECT YOURSELF: WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW

For Everyone

• Scan before you engage. Paste suspicious messages, URLs, or screenshots into ScamSecurityCheck.com for a free, instant AI-powered risk assessment.
• Establish a family code word. A single verification phrase defeats voice cloning, the "Hi Mom" scam, and grandparent scams instantly.
• Adopt zero trust for unsolicited contact. If you didn't initiate it — a call, a text, a DM, a job offer — verify independently before responding.

For Women

• Lock down social media privacy settings. Remove phone numbers, emails, and location data from public profiles.
• Use reverse image search on dating profiles before investing emotionally.
• Check for stalkerware if you feel unsafe: Apple Safety Check (iOS 16+) or stopstalkerware.org.
• Never send money to someone you haven't met in person — no exceptions.

For Seniors

• If a family member calls in distress, hang up and call them back at a number you already have saved.
• Never grant remote access to your computer from an unsolicited call.
• Talk to your family about recovery scams — if someone contacts you offering to get stolen money back, it's a second scam.
• Report suspicious activity to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov.

For Job Seekers

• No legitimate employer will ever ask you to deposit money to get paid.
• Ignore unsolicited texts or WhatsApp messages about work opportunities.
• Verify any employer independently through their official website and contact channels — not through links provided in the message.
• Search the company name + "scam" before engaging.
• Be especially cautious of "task" jobs involving liking, rating, or reviewing content — this is the fastest-growing scam category.

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About This Bulletin

This report is published by ScamSecurityCheck.com, an AI-powered scam detection platform that analyzes suspicious messages, emails, URLs, and images for signs of fraud. Our tools detect what platform-native filters miss — including behavioral manipulation, AI-generated content, and deepfake imagery.

Every scan is free. Every scan helps someone stay safe.

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Resources:

• FTC Report Fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• FBI IC3: ic3.gov
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• AARP Fraud Watch Network: aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork
• Coalition Against Stalkerware: stopstalkerware.org