Global cybersecurity firm Trend Micro is warning that 2026 could mark an inflection point for consumer fraud as cybercriminals weaponize AI at scale to industrialize scams. In its newly released 2026 Consumer Security Predictions Report, the company outlines how automation, agentic AI and emotionally targeted content are converging into what it describes as AI-scaled scam ecosystems.
Trend Micro’s report, titled “2026 Scam Predictions: How AI and Emotion Are Re-Engineering Global Scams,” argues that fraud operations are rapidly evolving from crude one-off messages into persistent, multi-channel engagement journeys designed to feel human, trustworthy and local. Rather than relying on poorly written phishing emails, attackers are expected to shift towards persistent, AI-driven interactions that adapt to the victim’s responses in real time.
Trend Micro points to AI-generated personas, deepfake audio and video, and highly automated orchestration engines as key building blocks in the next wave of fraud. Criminals can now clone voices from a few seconds of audio, generate highly tailored written content, and move conversations seamlessly across SMS, chat apps, social media and spoofed websites. This combination of realism and automation allows them to run many more concurrent scams with less manual effort, while making each interaction feel bespoke.
The company predicts that multi-channel scams – where victims are initially contacted via social media posts, DMs or SMS messages and then funneled into encrypted chats and fake payment portals – will become the default modus operandi in 2026. These flows are engineered to gradually build trust, isolate the victim from outside advice and push them towards irreversible payments or disclosure of sensitive information.
Relationship and investment scams are expected to remain the most lucrative categories. Trend Micro warns that AI chatbots, deepfake “companions” and synthetic imagery will make it significantly harder for targets to distinguish real people from entirely fabricated identities. These synthetic relationships can run for weeks or months before a financial ask appears, increasing the success rate of fraud. In parallel, crypto-focused investment schemes are forecast to expand through organized scam-as-a-service networks, which package everything from marketing materials to fake trading dashboards as a commercial offering for would-be fraudsters.
The report also highlights a likely rise in instant payment fraud as criminals exploit peer-to-peer payment apps and instant transfer systems that leave victims with little recourse once money has been sent. This dovetails with a continued flood of high-volume impersonation scams spoofing delivery companies, billing departments and subscription services. According to Trend Micro, these campaigns are increasingly powered by localized smishing kits, high-quality templates and professional branding elements, making fraudulent messages visually and linguistically close to legitimate notifications.
AI-Enhanced Fraud
For technology vendors and financial institutions, the prediction set underscores the difficulty of relying on traditional red flags such as spelling mistakes or obviously generic content. Trend Micro argues that AI-enhanced fraud is eroding those signals, making it essential to push consumers towards verification-first behaviors and to embed more proactive screening into platforms and services.
As part of its response, the company is promoting its ScamCheck tool as a consumer-focused layer of defense aligned with the threats highlighted in the report. ScamCheck is designed to let users quickly check suspicious SMS messages, URLs, social content and phone numbers before engaging. The service analyzes impersonation cues, URL risk indicators and behavioral patterns associated with common attack types, including delivery, billing, investment and romance scams, and then provides guidance on whether and how to proceed.
Trend Micro’s broader message is that scams are becoming persistent ecosystems rather than isolated incidents, with AI acting as the scaling engine. In that model, security awareness alone is unlikely to be sufficient. The company recommends a mix of secure-by-design platforms, embedded verification tools and updated user habits focused on identity validation and cross-channel checking.
The full report is available via Trend Micro’s website under the title “2026 Scam Predictions: How AI and Emotion Are Re-Engineering Global Scams.”
Executive Insights FAQ
Why should enterprises care about a consumer-focused scam predictions report?
Although the report targets consumers, many of the techniques it describes – AI-generated personas, multi-channel orchestration, deepfake voice and video – apply equally to business email compromise, supplier fraud and social engineering against employees. The same AI infrastructure used to target individuals can be pointed at corporate environments, making this an early indicator of methods likely to spill over into B2B fraud.
What is new about the scams Trend Micro expects in 2026 compared to today?
The key shift is from manual, one-off attempts to automated, AI-orchestrated engagement. Instead of sending a single phishing email, attackers will run persistent conversational journeys across multiple channels, using AI to adapt language, tone and content in real time. Deepfakes and voice cloning add a level of perceived authenticity that was impractical at scale only a few years ago.
Which scam types are predicted to cause the highest financial impact?
Trend Micro expects relationship scams and investment fraud to continue generating the largest direct losses. These scenarios leverage emotional manipulation and trust-building over time, often culminating in high-value transfers. Crypto-related schemes are particularly prominent because they combine irreversible payments with complex, opaque products that are hard for victims to fully understand or verify.
How does Trend Micro’s ScamCheck tool fit into broader security strategies?
ScamCheck is positioned as a front-line verification service for consumers, helping them validate messages, links and phone numbers before taking action. For enterprises, the underlying approach – automated screening for impersonation patterns and risky URLs – aligns with efforts to embed similar checks into banking apps, telco messaging platforms and social media environments, reducing the chance that users act on malicious prompts.
What practical behavior changes does Trend Micro recommend for users?
The company emphasizes moving away from superficial cues like spelling or grammar and adopting a verification-first mindset. That includes independently confirming identities through separate channels, treating unexpected payment requests with suspicion even if they appear well-branded, and using dedicated tools or services to check links and senders. The core assumption should be that convincing messages can be engineered and must be verified, not trusted by default.
