As featured on the CISO Insights podcast - because cybercriminals don't take holiday breaks The 12 Threats of Christmas: Quick Reference List 1. The Delivery "Smishing" Pandemic - Fake package delivery notifications via SMS trick victims into paying fraudulent "tariff fees" or downloading malware
A second Reuters investigation reveals Meta's calculated tolerance for billions in fraudulent advertising—and why this time, corporate deflection won't be enough. A few weeks ago at the Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS), I had an opportunity for an on-stage conversation with a Meta executive about the
As we close out 2025 and head into 2026, scammers are evolving their tactics faster than ever before. The integration of artificial intelligence into fraud operations has fundamentally changed the scam landscape, making traditional warning signs like poor grammar and suspicious emails increasingly obsolete. Understanding these emerging threats is crucial
With less than two weeks until Christmas, scammers are working overtime to exploit rushed holiday shoppers. This year's scams are more sophisticated than ever, powered by AI technology that makes fake websites and phishing emails frighteningly believable. Here's everything you need to know to protect yourself
Executive Summary The cybercrime world is undergoing a fundamental transformation. According to a comprehensive report by Trend Micro's Forward-Looking Threat Research team, we're witnessing the evolution from "Cybercrime-as-a-Service" to "Cybercrime-as-a-Sidekick"—a shift that dramatically changes how criminal operations function and threatens to
Executive Summary: A Fraud Ecosystem Spanning Streets to Cyberspace Morocco occupies a unique position in the global fraud landscape—simultaneously a romance scam capital targeting lonely Europeans, home to Storm-0539 (one of the world's most sophisticated gift card fraud operations), and ground zero for aggressive tourist exploitation in
Executive Summary Hong Kong, one of the world's premier financial hubs and Asia's gateway for capital flows, faces an unprecedented fraud crisis that threatens its reputation as a secure, sophisticated business center. In 2025, residents and businesses lost HK$5.02 billion ($644.9 million) in
Executive Summary Ghana stands at a dangerous intersection where traditional African spiritualism collides with modern cybercrime, creating a unique fraud ecosystem unlike any other in the world. While the nation lost GH₵38 million ($2.5 million) domestically in just 18 months, Ghanaian scammers operating internationally have stolen over $100
Executive Summary Colombia stands at a dangerous crossroads where traditional organized crime—drug cartels, armed groups, and trafficking networks—is rapidly evolving into sophisticated digital fraud operations. A nation historically known for cocaine production and armed conflict is now witnessing criminal organizations diversify their portfolios to include cryptocurrency scams, call
Executive Summary Egypt, home to 104 million people and one of Africa's largest digital economies, faces an unprecedented convergence of economic crisis and cyber fraud that is reshaping how Egyptians interact with money, technology, and trust itself. With the Egyptian pound losing over 70% of its value against
Executive Summary Argentina stands at the epicenter of a perfect storm where hyperinflation, cryptocurrency adoption, and economic desperation have converged to create what experts are calling a "Ponzidemia" – an epidemic of Ponzi schemes and investment fraud sweeping across the crisis-hit nation. With inflation reaching 249% in 2024 (though
November 23, 2025 - In one of the most significant enforcement actions against Southeast Asia's sprawling cybercrime industry, Myanmar's military forces arrested nearly 1,600 foreign nationals during a five-day operation targeting the notorious Shwe Kokko scam compound along the Thai border. The raids, conducted between
Global Scam Series 2025
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is hemorrhaging RM54.02 billion annually to scams—a staggering 3% of the nation's GDP—as sophisticated "Macau scam" syndicates impersonate police and government officials, romance scam call centers operate from luxury condominiums, and 750 Malaysians have been rescued from forced labor in
Global Scam Series 2025
NAIROBI — Kenya's M-Pesa mobile money revolution—the world's most successful mobile banking platform that brought financial services to tens of millions of unbanked Kenyans and became a global model for financial inclusion—now faces an existential trust crisis as fraud losses surge to Ksh810 million in
Global Scam Series 2025
DHAKA — Bangladesh's mobile financial services revolution—with 87% of users on bKash, tens of millions using Nagad, and the nation leading South Asia in financial inclusion through mobile money—faces an existential crisis as one in every 10 MFS users (9.3%) falls victim to fraud. The average
Global Scam Series 2025
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is hemorrhaging $9.3 billion annually to fraud and scams—a staggering 2.5% of the nation's GDP—as economic crisis, crushing youth unemployment, and sophisticated criminal networks converge to create one of the developing world's most severe fraud epidemics. With one-third of Pakistani
Global Scam Series 2025
ISTANBUL — Turkey stands at a dangerous crossroads in 2025, positioned both geographically and economically at the intersection of Europe and Asia, tradition and modernity, legitimate cryptocurrency innovation and catastrophic fraud. With nearly 1 million fraud cases brought to prosecutors in 2023, $2 billion+ lost in a single cryptocurrency exchange collapse,
The holiday season is supposed to be about joy, family gatherings, and finding the perfect gifts. Instead, for 34 million Americans, it became a nightmare of drained bank accounts, stolen identities, and fraudulent charges. As Thanksgiving 2025 approaches and Black Friday deals flood your inbox, cybercriminals are already counting their
International crackdown exposes payment industry corruption as 18 arrested in sophisticated subscription scam affecting 4.3 million victims across 193 countries Executive Summary In one of the most significant cybercrime enforcement actions of 2025, international law enforcement coordinated by Eurojust executed Operation Chargeback on November 4, resulting in 18 arrests
Operation Nothing But Net: How Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and 34 Others Got Caught in a Mafia-Backed Sports Betting Ring The Biggest Sports Corruption Scandal Since the Black Sox The FBI dropped a bombshell on October 23, 2025, unveiling what authorities are calling one of the most brazen sports corruption
Global Scam Series 2025
Executive Summary Dubai has emerged as the world's "Crypto Oasis" – a gleaming financial hub where legitimate blockchain innovation collides with sophisticated fraud on an unprecedented scale. In the first half of 2025 alone, UAE cryptocurrency victims lost an average of $80,000 (Dh293,600) each, the
Global Scam Series 2025
Executive Summary Russia occupies a unique and disturbing position in the global cybercrime ecosystem – a nation-state that doesn't just harbor cybercriminals, but cultivates, protects, and weaponizes them for strategic advantage. Ranked #1 on the World Cybercrime Index, Russia serves as the birthplace and safe harbor for the world&
Global Scam Series 2025
Executive Summary Nigeria stands at a crossroads in 2025, simultaneously serving as both a major source of global cybercrime and one of its most significant victims. The birthplace of the infamous "419 scam" has evolved into a sophisticated cybercrime ecosystem where unemployment drives young people into fraud, spiritual
Global Scam Series 2025
Executive Summary New Zealand, long known for its laid-back "she'll be right" attitude and trusted community spirit, faces a staggering fraud crisis that is draining NZ$2.3 billion ($1.4 billion USD) annually from the nation's economy—equivalent to 0.6% of GDP.