The Sneaky Ways Online Scams Are Evolving—and What Platforms Can Do

Emily Jones · 2026-10-20

Online financial scams have become a pervasive crime in the digital age. They're everywhere—from social media feeds to search results—and they're getting harder to spot. A new study commissioned by the European Commission takes a close look at how these scams operate and what platforms can do to stop them. The study, conducted in 2025, aims to support the Commission's supervisory and enforcement tasks under the Digital Services Act (DSA). It provides a typological mapping of financial scam formats across online platforms and assesses existing and emerging mitigation strategies. The research was carried out by Open Evidence and Spark Legal and Policy Consulting, and it does not evaluate compliance by providers of Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Search Engines (VLOSEs). ### A diverse typology of scams The study categorizes online financial scams into six broad types: - Investment scams - Romance scams - E-commerce scams - Employment and collaboration scams - Unexpected gain scams - Disaster relief scams Investment and romance scams are the most common and fastest-growing forms in Europe. What's more, the lines between categories are blurring—scammers often combine methods from different types to reel in victims. ### The platform features scammers exploit Platforms have many features that scammers can twist to their advantage. The study highlights several key areas: - Advertising systems - Recommender systems - Content moderation of organic content - Monetisation systems - App store content and private messaging functions - Inauthentic identities and account manipulation - Deceptive commercial content - Generative AI These features aren't inherently bad, but they can be gamed. For example, scammers might use ads to reach a wide audience quickly, or they might manipulate recommender algorithms to surface their fraudulent content. Generative AI makes it easier to create convincing fake profiles and messages at scale. ### How scams operate across platforms Financial scams rarely stay on one platform. Scammers move across services—starting a conversation on a social media app, moving to private messaging, then directing victims to a fake website. Organized criminal networks often coordinate these efforts, making them harder to trace and stop. The study also looks at the impact on users and society. Victims lose money, but there's also emotional harm and eroding trust in online services. For businesses, the stakes are high: a single scam can damage reputation and customer loyalty. ### Measures platforms can take The study assesses various mitigation strategies. These include improving detection systems, enhancing user reporting tools, and collaborating across platforms to share intelligence. It also emphasizes the role of regulation, like the DSA, in pushing platforms to take responsibility. > "Scams are a moving target. Platforms need to stay one step ahead, and that requires constant adaptation and cooperation." For business professionals, the takeaway is clear: understand the risks, educate your teams and customers, and advocate for stronger platform safeguards. Online financial scams aren't just a consumer issue—they're a business issue that affects us all. To dive deeper, you can read the full study and its executive summary (available in French and English) through the European Commission's publication office.