Barclays Scams Bulletin: Romance scam reports rise 20 per cent as online dating hits 30-year anniversary  — Barclays Scams Bulletin: Romance scam reports rise 20 per cent as online dating hits 30-year anniversary One in 10 UK adults have been targeted, or know someone who has been targeted, by a romance scam In the first quarter of 2025, romance scams were up 20 per cent year-on-year Victims lost £8,000 on average last year, increasing to £19,000 for those 61 and over Three quarters of consumers want tech companies to do more to prevent romance scammers on their platforms The Barclays Scams Bulletin tracks scam data across personal and business current accounts, paired with expert commentary from Barclays digital safety experts

Avoiding Investment and Payment Scams Online  — Takeaways We are sharing tips and product tools across Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram to help people avoid online investment and payment scams. Since the start of 2024, we have detected and disrupted over seven million accounts associated with scam centers across Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. To help protect people targeted by scammers across the internet, we’re also supporting the FBI’s Level Up program, which aims to minimize financial loss from investment scams linked to known scam centers.

You’d never fall for an online scam, right?  — Wrong, says cybersecurity expert. Con artists use time-tested tricks that can work on anyone regardless of age, IQ — what’s changed is scale. Online scams are on the rise. Last year, American consumers lost $12.5 billion due to cybercrime, which represents a 22 percent increase over the previous year, according to a report by the FBI. Cybercriminals use psychological trickery to dupe victims into giving up their money, and their tactics are becoming more sophisticated. They post fake ads on social media platforms, send emails with phishing links or malware, and recently in the Boston area, solicit payments for unpaid tolls via text message.

Security training cuts phishing risk by 86% globally in a year  — A recent study shows that security training targeting phishing scams reduces risk by 86% in the corporate space. *PhoolPhisher is a tool that offers security training for phishing scams in the consumer space.

Fake Loan Followup  — Beware: Loan-Related Emails May Be Targeted Spam—Even If You Just Applied

US shoppers targeted in sophisticated TikTok scam amid global trade uncertainty  — Online scammers are reportedly targeting US shoppers on TikTok in an elaborate fake luxury products scheme in which the seller claims to have obtained "factory direct" designer clothes. Recently, many users on TikTok have encountered convincing ads promoting discounted items from high-end brands, like Lululemon leggings and a Hermès Birkin lookalike. The voiceover purports that the cheap clothes were pulled straight out of the factory, meaning they possess the same quality materials from the same suppliers—a deal too good to be true.

Receiving odd texts for someone else? Rise of ‘wrong number’ messages is new payday for scammers  — “Hey, how are you?” “Hey, how’s your sore back?” “Sorry, I’m running a little late; I’ll meet you for dinner at 6:15.” If you have been on the receiving end of an increasing number of seemingly random and innocuous texts like those, you aren’t alone. And it wasn’t a wrong number. Online scammers are increasingly turned to “wrong number” message tactics, aided by AI, to trick phone users into providing access to personal information and financial accounts.

Denver sheriff warns residents to avoid jury duty text message scam  — DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Sheriff’s Department is warning about a new text message scam that targets victims by saying they are being summoned to jury duty. Major Michelle Kim told FOX31 that the scammers pose as officers of the court.

Cybersecurity experts warn about job offer text scams  — ACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A scam that may flood your phone may be disguised as a job offer sent through text, deceiving you with a job description that may be a little too good to be true. If you got an unexpected text message with a job offer from a company you didn’t apply to, chances are it’s a scam. It’s a scam cybersecurity experts told First Coast News has been growing rapidly over the past year.

Unpaid toll texts are scam, costing Tennesseans more than $190 million in 2024, AG says  — CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – In a recent press release, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division urged Tennesseans to be aware of phishing text scams claiming that a consumer has unpaid toll road and EZ Pass balances. Tech scams such as these cost Tennesseans more than $190 million in 2024, with senior accounting for one-third of those losses, says the FBI.