In The News: 3 Updated Fraud Risks

Fraud schemes are always evolving. Once frauds are widely publicized and consumers and businesses learn to spot common scams, enterprising criminals change their tactics. So even if you were able to recognize the red flags of fraud a couple of years ago, you may be vulnerable to new or tweaked scams in 2025. For the health of your business, it’s essential to stay on top of fraud developments.

1. From phone to text

Although the phone used to be fraudsters’ preferred device, perpetrators are now more likely to scam victims via email or text. According to credit bureau Experian, imposter scams (where a crook often pretends to be someone the victim already knows) perpetrated via phone calls have decreased, from 67% in 2020 to 32% in 2023, and migrated to emails and texts.

Your employees should be wary if they receive messages in their work or personal accounts about security alerts, renewal notices, invoices that require payment or available discounts. Even if they think they know the sender, they must verify messages before clicking any links. Instruct your workers to:

• Hover over links to ensure URLs match the purported sites,
• Check if links use an HTTPS encrypted protocol,
• Copy and paste suspicious URLs into an app such as Google Safe Browsing or VirusTotal, or
• Phone the supposed sender.

And, of course, make sure your IT network’s security software is up to date.

2. A growing threat

You may remember several years ago when many Americans received unsolicited packets of seeds in the mail — purportedly from China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture eventually found that the “gifts” were part of a “brushing” scam that shady companies sometimes use to create fake customers and post higher ratings and sales numbers online.

Although the initial scam seems to have stopped, three states (Alabama, New Mexico and Texas) recently warned that their residents are again receiving mysterious seed packets. This time, authorities are warning about the risk of planting the seeds. Packets could contain weed and invasive species seeds that, if allowed to grow, might harm U.S. farming businesses and ecosystems. If you’re in the agricultural sector or live in an agricultural region and receive unsolicited seeds, promptly send unopened packets to your state agriculture agency.

3. Financial warnings

In a “Top 5 Fraud Trends of 2025” blog post, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) warns about the acceleration of AI, cryptocurrency and digital fraud schemes in 2025. It claims increased losses from such schemes are likely to disproportionately hurt financial institutions, money service businesses and telecommunications companies as fraud victims look for “new places to point fingers.”

Fraud revenues usually pass through financial institutions or money service businesses, and perpetrators generally employ at least some form of electronic communication. The ACFE predicts that these industries “will likely face increased pressure from governments, regulators and victims,” including lawsuits. If you operate in these areas, review and shore up your organization’s defenses now to reduce threats.

© 2025