Digital deception – How modern PsyOps and scams are rewriting the rules of trust in 2025
Introduction
Psychological manipulation has consistently shaped global events, from the ancient battlefields of Sun Tzu to the weaponized deepfakes of today’s scammers.
In 2025, this same psychological warfare is being waged online, not just by state actors but by fraudsters exploiting our trust, our fears, and the speed of modern technology.
Are you prepared?
In my past life as an intelligence operative and security strategist, I studied the anatomy of deception up close, how it’s used, why it works, and what it takes to resist it.
Today, that battlefield has moved into the digital domain, and the frontlines are not just in war zones or classified operations rooms; they’re in our inboxes, on our phones, and across our social media feeds.
Whether you’re a parent, a professional, or a policymaker, understanding the roots and realities of PsyOps today isn’t just fascinating. It’s essential.
Welcome to the new era of digital PsyOps, where fraudsters, scammers, and manipulators use age-old psychological tactics, supercharged by AI and instant global communication, to exploit our instincts and steal our money, our data, and our peace of mind.
Let’s break down the top scams of 2025, and more importantly, how to spot them before you or someone you love becomes the next target.
Bank impersonation scams: Trust as a Trojan Horse
A bank impersonation scam may start with a phone call, text, or email from what looks to be your bank. In many cases, the communication will claim there is an urgent issue with your account—such as a security breach, an unauthorized transaction, or some other suspicious activity that has taken place.
Posing as a legitimate representative, the fraudster may ask for your online banking password, your PIN, or a one-time code you may have received from your bank.
They claim these codes will verify your identity, but they act as the key that gets them access to your account.
These scams exploit our deepest financial fears — the loss of control, the threat of theft, and the illusion of urgency. You get a call, text, or email from what seems to be your bank.
Red flag, your bank will never ask you for a one-time code or password over the phone.
Crypto scams: Gold rush meets grand illusion
Cryptocurrency prices soared after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, buoyed by expectations of an easier regulatory environment. Cryptocurrency scams, which were already gaining momentum, have followed suit.
Data shows that in 2024, crypto scams likely hit a new record, with revenue increasing nearly 40% compared to the year before.
While the sector’s popularity plays a role, artificial intelligence is perhaps the biggest driver.
Generative AI has made it easier and cheaper for scammers to expand crypto fraud, with deepfake technology enabling fraudsters to create fake celebrity endorsements for their crypto schemes, boosting their success rate.
Even Netflix released a true-crime documentary last year about three fraudsters who conned millions from investors.
Other crypto scams that have been particularly lucrative for fraudsters include crypto drainers, where fraudsters pretend to be legitimate blockchain projects or crypto services, tricking victims into connecting their cryptocurrency wallets to malicious platforms.
Upon obtaining permission, the scammers proceed to siphon off all the funds from the wallet.
More traditional investment scams also remain popular in 2025; high-yield investment scams, which promise unrealistically high returns (and operate as Ponzi schemes), remain prevalent.
With these types of scams, that “profit” is pure fiction, serving as bait: victims typically lose the big money trying to cash out.
The “windfall” is always blocked by the need for another payment, be it a broker’s fee or a tax bill. It only ends when the victim is broke.
Along the way, fraudsters play on the idea that traditional banks and the government are suspicious of crypto and see it as a threat. This tactic helps convince victims to mislead their bank about the true purpose of their transaction.
Meanwhile, the volatility of cryptocurrencies and the perception that people can become wealthy overnight provide the perfect cover for fraudsters.
Red flag: If a stranger online is promising easy crypto riches, it’s not an opportunity — it’s bait.
Romance scams: Love as a weapon
Romance scams are proof that emotional manipulation still works better than any algorithm.
Fraudsters build false identities, nurture emotional bonds, and then strike, asking for money, crypto “investments,” or help in a fabricated emergency.
Romance scams are typically carried out online through dating sites, apps, or other social media channels.
They start when a cybercriminal creates a fake profile and contacts an individual looking for a romantic connection. The scammer will then start to build a relationship and aim to gain trust rapidly.
Once that’s done, they will ask for money, typically for the purposes of airfare (to come visit) or to get themselves or a loved one out of trouble.
Victims of romance scams come from all walks of life, income levels, education, age, gender, and profession. The reason they are so successful is that scammers put a lot of time and effort into establishing a connection that feels real and meaningful, and once the victim has fallen in love, it’s easy to miss the warning signs of the scam.
Romance and crypto scams are now linked, as would-be lovers trick victims into investing in crypto. Victims often don’t realize until it’s too late that both their romantic interest and their money have disappeared.
Hard truth: When it feels “too real, too fast” online, it often isn’t real at all.
Employment scams: False hope in hard times
With challenging economies worldwide and many people finding it difficult to secure meaningful employment, job scams are on the rise. From unsolicited email offers to fake hiring managers promoting work on social media, these scams lure job seekers with promises of work, advancement, great pay, and benefits.
There are several employment schemes running at the moment. Here are some of the most common:
- Fake job listings
These listings normally ask candidates to pay a fee to complete their application or get started. - Fake hiring firms
Scammers will pose as an agency, institution, or hiring firm and request a screening fee. - Email offers
Fake job offers (often about jobs you never applied for) They may request sensitive information like your ID and bank account numbers to facilitate your onboarding process. - Online interviews
May ask you to input sensitive information in order to gain access to the interview. - Work-from-home jobs
You might need to send money to purchase equipment such as a computer and monitor.
To protect yourself from job scams, be sure to do your research before applying for a position.
Examine the company’s website and contrast the information provided there with the job listing. Also beware of offers that seem too good to be true, and don’t engage in requests to transfer funds; no legitimate employer will ask you to write checks, send gift cards, or send wire transfers to “get started” on a job.
As a general rule, a genuine job offer doesn’t require payment. It pays you.
Travel scams: Your getaway, their payday
Travel scams continue to spread in 2025 as fraudsters use both traditional tactics and new methods to deceive travelers. Notable scams include:
- Fake vacation rentals:
Scammers create professional-looking websites for properties that either don’t exist or are very different from their descriptions. - Fake travel agencies:
Fraudsters offer vacation packages at low prices. When it comes time to travel, vacationers find their reservations aren’t valid. - Too-good-to-be-true offers:
Unsolicited offers claiming free vacations or discounted trips often deceive would-be travelers out of their vacation funds.
Stay sharp: Always verify accommodations and agencies independently before paying.
AI scams: The new face of deception
AI-powered scams are the ones to watch in 2025, as AI has opened up a wealth of opportunities for scammers.
In December 2024, the FBI posted a public service announcement listing some of the ways that criminals use generative AI to trick victims, and global reports indicate that deepfake-related crime increased by more than 1,500% in the Asia-Pacific region from 2022 to 2023.
Around the world, generative AI is being used to advance a number of scams, making existing scams more believable.
Some of the most common so far in 2025:
- Phishing and smishing:
Scammers can use AI to write more convincing and natural-sounding phishing emails and text messages. - AI-generated images:
AI makes it easy for scammers to create professional-looking websites, social media ads, fake photos for social media profiles, and much more. - Deepfake videos:
Scammers can create AI-generated videos to promote fake products, charities, or investments. They can also trick people into thinking they are speaking to a real person.
In one of the most sensational cases of 2024, a Hong Kong finance worker was duped into transferring more than $25 million to fraudsters who used deepfake technology to disguise themselves as the firm’s chief financial officer and other senior colleagues. - Fake and cloned voices:
Scammers can use AI-generated or altered voices for phone-based scams, such as the grandparent scam.
Ask yourself: Would your boss or family really ask for money on a video call?
Phishing scams: Old trick, new tech
Phishing has long been one of the most common and popular types of scams.
This is where victims might receive a message impersonating an individual or organization (i.e., a delivery company, financial institution, or government agency) claiming that there’s an issue and immediate action is required to fix it.
Alternatively, the message might inform you that you need to immediately claim a refund or a special prize.
The goal of a phishing message is to either get you to click on a link that takes you to a fake website or to share personal or financial information. Often urgent in nature and unsolicited, phishing messages are increasingly convincing and put pressure on their victims, not giving them time to think through their actions.
Tip: Never click links from unsolicited messages, even if they “seem” urgent or familiar.
Grandparent scams: Emotionally engineered crime
The grandparent scam is a highly pervasive and successful scam that preys on the emotions of family members.
In this scam, a grandparent receives a phone call from a fraudster pretending to be their grandchild.
The fraudster may use deepfake technology to mimic a grandchild’s voice, making the call more convincing. Saying they are hurt or in trouble, the fraudster will convince the grandparent that they need money immediately.
The trending scams of 2025 are a mix of proven techniques and new technology that help fraudsters create convincing scams that trick victims out of their savings and their personal information.
Protect loved ones: Create a family codeword for emergencies that scammers can’t fake.
PsyOps meets everyday life
Scams aren’t just crimes of opportunity; they’re precision psychological operations. They exploit human behaviour, pattern recognition, and our innate desire to help, belong, and believe.
What’s changing in 2025 is the scale and sophistication. But the core tactic remains timeless: manipulating trust.
Faced with trying to combat this growing problem, you all need to react in time if the answer to any of the following questions is “yes”:
Have you received unexpected contact?
Are you under pressure to make an investment quickly?
Are you receiving investment returns that seem improbable?
Are they trying to flatter you?
Staying safe in this landscape means staying informed, connected, and sceptical in all the right ways.
The truth is, you can engage in a battle without wearing a uniform. In 2025, headlines, hashtags, and voice-cloned phone calls fight the war for your mind.
But knowledge is a powerful shield.
By understanding how psychological warfare has shaped the world and continues to shape your digital environment, you become less of a target and more of a sentinel.
This post was written by Mario Bekes