2. Recovery scams
Getting scammed is horrendous. Getting re-scammed may be worse. That’s what happens with recovery scams: Criminals promise to help victims recoup their losses and charge fees for their nonexistent services.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of recovery scams,” Nofziger says of 2026, pointing to the continued growth of scams as a whole, particularly pig-butchering or financial-grooming scams (criminals, usually based overseas, carefully foster an online relationship with a victim to create feelings of trust, then lure them into bogus cryptocurrency investments). Once victims realize they’re in the midst of a scam, they often tell the criminals that they’re calling the police. The criminals note this — “They probably record every conversation,” Nofziger says — then follow up weeks later posing as someone from law enforcement, a consumer advocacy organization, a law firm or a government agency.
How to stay safe:
- Watch for upfront fees. Criminals may charge in advance for their fake services and ask you to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or Venmo.
- Beware of phony checks. Scammers will sometimes send a counterfeit check, often for more than what you lost, the FTC notes. Then they’ll say they overpaid and instruct you to return the balance.
- Do your homework. Search the recovery firm’s name using keywords such as “scam,” “fraud” or “complaint.”
3. Digital arrest
The process is terrifying. You receive a call saying that you’re the subject of a criminal investigation. It might be a police officer charging you with money laundering. Or maybe it’s a customs official claiming they intercepted drugs en route to your home. Bogus law enforcement officers then interrogate you on video calls, not just for hours, but days, as they threaten you with criminal charges and pressure you to pay settlements or fines.
“It’s a terror-based scam that involves holding a person digitally captive,” says Frank McKenna, chief fraud strategist with Point Predictive in San Diego, California. “They’ll get you in a video call, and they won’t let you go — they’ll basically transfer you from person to person.”
Digital arrest is an enormous problem in India that’s starting to spread to the United States, McKenna says. In India, digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes nearly tripled from 2022 to 2024, the Indian government reported in March 2025. In September, a retired doctor in Hyderabad died from a heart attack after enduring nearly 70 hours of digital arrest and constant video surveillance, India Today reported.
Scammers use AI “to create deepfake videos and forged documents, including court orders or arrest warrants, to deceive victims by making their threats appear more credible,” according to ISACA, an association for information systems/information technology professionals.
Unlike a romance scam, where criminals may spend months building a rapport with their victims, scammers use intimidation and threats to steal your money. Such scare tactics are increasingly appearing in a growing number of scams.
“We’re seeing a lot more overzealous threats to victims,” Nofziger says. “Very aggressive: ‘I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill your family.’ We’ve had victims who have gotten pictures of dead bodies and pictures of car accidents saying, ‘This is what’s going to happen to you.’ ”
How to stay safe:
- Hang up. “Law enforcement doesn’t call people and threaten to arrest them,” McKenna says. “If you get a call like this, hang up.”
- Remember how the system works. Court orders or arrest warrants are not delivered through phone calls, emails or social media messages, ISACA notes.
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