The New Scams You Need to Watch For This Year

Every year, scam artists refine their tactics, and keeping up can feel like a full-time job. During this year’s National Consumer Protection Week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a critical webinar to shed light on the most pressing fraud trends emerging in 2026. The goal was simple: to arm consumers with the knowledge to recognize and stop these threats before they cause harm.

Here’s a breakdown of what the experts highlighted and, more importantly, what you can do about it.

What the FTC Wants You to Know About Current Scams

The FTC’s annual update serves as a barometer for the shifting landscape of consumer fraud. While the exact list from the recent webinar isn’t publicly detailed in a summary, the patterns consistently point to a few high-risk areas that are evolving rapidly.

Based on ongoing trends and the FTC’s long-standing warnings, these are the types of scams likely at the forefront of their discussion:

  • Highly Targeted Phishing and Smishing: Gone are the days of generic “Dear Customer” emails. Scammers now use data from leaks and social media to craft personalized messages that appear to come from your bank, a government agency like the Social Security Administration, or even a colleague. Text messages (smishing) with urgent prompts to click a link are especially prevalent.
  • Impersonation Scams with a Digital Twist: Pretending to be a tech support agent from a well-known company or a romantic interest online remains a classic. The new danger lies in how convincing these impersonations have become, sometimes leveraging compromised information to gain your trust in the initial conversation.
  • Exploitation of New Financial Platforms: As peer-to-peer payment apps (like Venmo or Zelle) and digital investment platforms grow in popularity, so do scams that exploit them. Fraudsters pressure victims into sending “urgent” payments or investing in fake crypto schemes with promises of guaranteed high returns.
  • The Rise of AI-Powered Fraud: Perhaps the most concerning trend is the use of artificial intelligence to create deepfake audio or video. A scammer could clone a loved one’s voice from a social media clip and call pretending to be in an emergency, demanding immediate money transfers.

The common thread is social engineering—manipulating your emotions, like fear, urgency, or trust, to bypass your logical defenses.

These aren’t just minor nuisances; they represent a fundamental shift in how fraud is conducted. Scams are becoming more personalized, more technologically sophisticated, and harder to distinguish from legitimate communications. The emotional leverage used—a grandchild in trouble, an overdue tax bill, a compromised bank account—is designed to trigger a panic response, short-circuiting careful thought.

The FTC’s focus during National Consumer Protection Week underscores that this is a peak time for public awareness. Scammers count on consumers being uninformed. By highlighting these methods as they evolve, the FTC aims to create a more resilient public, where one person recognizing a scam can prevent countless others from falling victim.

Practical Steps to Protect Yourself

Knowledge is your first line of defense. Here’s how you can apply the FTC’s guidance to your daily digital life:

  1. Slow Down and Verify. Urgency is a scammer’s greatest weapon. If a message, call, or email demands immediate action or payment, pause. Hang up the phone or close the email. Contact the organization or person directly using a phone number or website you know is genuine—not the contact information provided in the suspicious message.
  2. Adopt a “Never-Click” Mindset for Unsolicited Contacts. Do not click on links or open attachments in emails or texts you weren’t expecting. Even if it looks like it’s from a trusted source, log in to your account directly through the official app or by typing the website address yourself.
  3. Guard Your Personal Information Like Gold. No legitimate government agency or bank will call, email, or text to ask for your Social Security number, bank account details, or passwords. Never give out this information to someone who contacts you first.
  4. Secure Your Accounts. Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on every account that offers it. This adds a critical second step for verification that a scammer likely cannot bypass.
  5. Talk About It. Discuss these scams with your family, especially older relatives who are frequently targeted. Make a plan: if someone calls claiming to be a relative in need, agree on a secret code word or a specific, alternative family member to call for verification.

What to Do If You Suspect a Scam or Fraud

If you encounter a scam, or worse, if you’ve lost money or information:

  • Report it immediately. File a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. This helps law enforcement track patterns and crack down on fraudsters.
  • Contact your financial institutions. If you shared account information or made a payment, call your bank, credit card company, or payment app right away. They may be able to stop a transaction or secure your account.
  • Place a fraud alert. If you’re worried about identity theft, contact one of the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) to place a free fraud alert on your credit file.

Staying safe is an ongoing practice, not a one-time fix. Treat unexpected financial requests with healthy skepticism, make verification a habit, and use the free resources provided by the FTC. By understanding the latest tactics, you take the power out of the scammer’s hands and keep it firmly in your own.

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