Cryptocurrency investment and AI-powered scams are just two of the key cyber-criminal trends to watch for in the coming year.
The NAB’s leading scam expert has revealed the five major scam trends Australians need to be aware of in 2025.
“We’ve identified five scams to watch based on trends we’re seeing, what we hear from customers and societal issues,” Chris Sheehan, NAB Executive, Group Investigations and a member of the Australian Federal Police, said in a statement.
“Every Australian needs to know about these scams so they can recognise the red flags and protect themselves and their loved ones in 2025.”
According to NAB, the scams to watch out for are AI-powered scams impersonating Australian personalities and politicians; cryptocurrency investment scams; bucket list scams that take advantage of popular musicians on tour in Australia, as well as Europe’s and the United Kingdom’s new visa requirements; remote access scams, where the scammer pretends to be from a major brand or bank in an attempt to install malware on the victim’s devices; and phishing scams looking to harvest personal information and credentials.
While scammers are constantly evolving their tactics, Sheehan said there were some common red flags to watch for.
“Criminals create urgency to act quickly. It could be creating FOMO (fear of missing out) that resold concert tickets will go quickly, that you’ll miss the next big crypto investment opportunity or that there’s a problem with your bank account and you need to move your money elsewhere,” Sheehan said.
“Another common red flag across different scam types is that the contact is unexpected. For example, an out-of-the-blue phone call from an ‘internet provider’ to fix your connection.
“Once funds are sent it’s often very hard to recover money, despite our best efforts. Criminals quickly send it to overseas accounts or to cryptocurrency platforms knowing it makes it harder to retrieve. That’s why we need all parts of the scam ecosystem taking action to stop the crime before it happens.”
Sheehan added that while scam reports from NAB customers have increased by 18 per cent year-on-year, the amount of money lost to scams dropped 20 per cent year-on-year.
