Fraudsters in 2026 will actively use artificial intelligence in criminal plots and may also conduct more serious attacks on children, warned Petr Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
“Scammers will continue to use AI and deepfakes to spoof voices and videos. Sending malware to your phone or computer may also become a trend. Social engineering and various psychological tricks will remain an important part. The problem is that calls are made under the guise of agency or law enforcement representatives with various threats and blackmail,” said the expert.
Sasha and Lena at gunpoint: it is known who the scammers call most often in 2025
In addition, according to Shcherbachenko, attacks on children will be an important part of the scammers' “activity”. He emphasized that through minors, children can easily access information that discredits their parents. At the same time, the main tools of criminals, according to experts, will remain fraudulent links, malicious applications, etc.
“To protect yourself from scammers, you need to follow a few rules. First, stop and pause when calling from an unknown number. It is important to get to the heart of the matter and do not give out any personal or banking information. Second, do not use any codes from SMS. Third, do not download applications from unofficial stores without checking the reviews. In principle, it is better not to visit unverified links “, Shcherbachenko recommended.
Previously, the Sochi airport manager saved a passenger who registered his property as a fraudster. The man began to realize what was going on only after a long conversation.
