Back in the day, I received so many scam calls that I thought I had experienced it all. But that was until a day when I got a phone call, and the voice on the other side said, “Hello, I’m sad to inform you that your bank account is being looked into,” in a very human-like voice. Even worse, it used my name. That definitely turned my nails to my fingers.
I do agree that the phrasing does seem slightly painful, nevertheless it had a lot of weight to it. More than what I had assumed. When it comes to phone scams in 2025, not only have have they become more ruthless but have also gotten more sophisticated. If you think you understand the threat and value of sophisticated scams, it is time you wake up and smell the coffee.
There is a silver lining to using technology to scam people. As long as the perpetrators become more advanced, we can, as a society.
For this year, here are the most popular phone scams that have impacted people and how you can protect yourself from these risks.
1. AI-powered impersonation scams
Picture yourself receiving a call from your bank, your boss, or a family member, pleading you for urgent assistance. Only – it is not their real voice. Scammers hack AI technologies and use voice cloning scams to deceive some people into believing they are the real thing and to what extent they go to have a voice impersonator carry out their plan.
Example: a California woman received a call from what she thought was her son. The voice explained that he was in a car crash and needed money. Turns out, the boy was not her son at all. All her son needed was a quick call, for her to realize it was all fake.
How to avoid it: do not answer calls that do not show any ID and where money is involved. It’s usually a scam, so call the person back directly to check if it is really them. You will also need to ask them a personal question only they know the answer to in order to verify their identity.
2. Government impersonation fraud
It is not new to receive calls supposedly from the IRS, FBI or Social Security Administration, but scammers today are far more sophisticated and use spoofed caller ID to mimic a government agency.
Example: a man from Texas received a call from the ‘IRS’ claiming that he had back taxes due and would be arrested within 24 hours unless he paid them. He broke out in a cold sweat as he went to transfer $5,000 until finally realizing that the IRS does not call and threaten people.
How to avoid it: government agencies never demand payments over the phone. If you’re unsure, reporting the call to ComplaintsBoard.com can help identify whether others have been targeted by similar scams. If in doubt, contact the agency directly using their official website.
3. Fake tech support calls
“Hi, this is Microsoft. We have detected a virus on your device.” If you have heard this before, then you have been a victim of tech support scams. These scams use ridiculous methods to convince people to give them remote access to devices and retrieve sensitive information, data, or charge their victims for fake services.
Example: a retiree living in Florida lost $10,000 after the scammers convinced him to install remote access software to “fix” his computer. They locked him out and held his devices for ransom after attempting to erase all data in his devices.
How to avoid it: no legitimate company will ever call you unsolicited about a virus. If you get a call like this, hang up immediately.
4. Lottery and prize scams
“Congratulations! You can now claim your prize of 50,000 dollars. Just pay a small fee for us to process it.”
Too good to be true? It actually is. Scammers have made shady calls like this for years to obtain money and personal information from people.
Example: a woman in New York was told she had won a sweepstake but needed to pay $1,000 in taxes before receiving her winnings. She sent the money – only to realize there was no prize.
How to avoid it: if you have no reason to believe you won something, you haven’t, indeed. Trustworthy sweepstakes will never request an advance deposit.
5. Bank fraud alerts
Scammers send spam-linked texts, luring people into believing that their accounts have been hacked, which alerts them to action. The aim is to acquire usernames and passwords or to persuade the target to move funds “to be safe”.
Example: a man from Chicago received a text suggesting that his bank was aware of some suspicious activity. He further received a phone call from a representative with his name who attempted to convince the man, offering to transfer the funds for better security. He did it all for uh… fake reasons.
How to avoid it: if you receive such a call from your bank, make sure that you hang up first and dial the number found on your card to clarify your problem. You should never move funds at someone’s, over the phone, recommendations.
6. “Can you hear me?” scam
This simple but effective scam involves a caller asking, “Can you hear me?” If you say “yes,” they record your voice and use it to authorize fraudulent transactions.
Example: a scammer made a call to someone residing in Virginia and, instead of introducing themselves, asked the person, “Can you hear me?”. That person reflexively said yes. Later on, unauthorized charges were witnessed on their billing statement, which resulted from illegitimate voice authorizations.
How to avoid it: never answer a simple “yes” to unknown calls. If in doubt, ask, “Who’s calling?” instead.
7. Grandparent scam
This cruel trick targets older adults, pretending to be a distressed family member needing urgent financial help.
Example: a scammer who posed as a grandson impersonated and called an 80-year-old man asking for bail money while in jail. He ended up sending the scammer $5000 and realized too late it was all a scam.
How to avoid it: if a relative approaches with distress, always try to authenticate their identity first. If in doubt, call another family member or ask them a question they should know the answer to.
8. Fake charity scams
After a natural disaster or crisis, scammers pose as charities to take advantage of people’s willingness to help.
Example: after a hurricane, a fraud who claimed to be working with a charity relief organization started gathering funds for a fake charity. Many people who wanted to help ended up sending funds, all of which were wasted as the charity was nonexistent.
How to avoid it: verify charities through official websites like Charity Navigator before donating. Never donate over the phone without researching first.
9. Work-from-home scams
As remote work becomes more popular, scammers are using the internet to post fake job openings that ask for payment in the form of tuition, certification, or even background check fees.
Example: а job seeker spent $200 on a “must-complete” training session for a position that was never real.
How to avoid it: as a rule, credible businesses will never ask you to pay them before you even start working. Make sure to look up the business and find real employee reviews before applying to any jobs.
10. Medical scam calls
Fake medical insurance companies make calls telling people they need to sign up for policies or give out private and sensitive medical information.
Example: an elderly individual received a spam phone call about incorporating “urgent updates” to a Medicare plan. The so-called scammer requested Social Security numbers with malicious intent behind it, and the number was later used to steal the individual’s identity.
How to avoid it: never give out your personal details even on the phone. Instead hang up and reach out to your insurance provider using the official contact number provided to you.
As phone scams grow, the people behind them are getting increasingly sophisticated. Fortunately, you can protect yourself with a little alertness. Help combat these schemes by reporting scam phone numbers to the FTC, FCC and your local fraud preventer agency. Not only can individual reports prove invaluable in the fight against fraud, they can also help prevent future scams.
Using platforms such as ComplaintsBoard.com assists in bringing the attention of the public to scam numbers, so people can avoid these numbers altogether.
Author: Rachel Dawson
Rachel has dedicated years to understanding digital fraud patterns and warning people about scams before they get caught in one.
Her expertise is using machine learning on real world online scams and protecting people from the ever changing fraud tactics of scammers.
As a hobby, she fixes vintage typewriters, plays obscure board games with friends, and trains her rescue dog to ignore scam phone calls.