“Miracle” cryptos, investments in wine, ecological car parks or even false tips on imminent takeover bids… Financial scams have never been so numerous, nor so convincing. Thanks to impeccable sites and well-rehearsed speeches, Scammers are increasing their ingenuity to trap savers. And even the most cautious people can be fooled.
Thus, in 2025, reports sent to the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) have increased significantly. “We don’t have any figures but there were indeed more requests from savers arriving at the AMF”confirms Anne Delannoy, responsible for alert financial offers. And the amounts involved are far from being anecdotal: the average losses declared reached 34,000 euros in 2025 compared to 29,500 euros in 2024. “There really is a mass industrialization of illegal content online”she warns.
Banking transaction fraud continues to increase
This is demonstrated by the figures for fraud linked to banking transactions published by the Payment Means Security Observatory (OSMP). In the first half of 2025, they continued to progress, with total damage of 618.4 million eurosan increase of 7.4% compared to the same period in 2024. Websites, mobile applications, fake WhatsApp or Telegram groups: it is therefore clear that the channels are multiplying, as are the scenarios.
Financial scams: cryptos remain the primary hunting ground for scammers
If there are scams around wine, parking or atypical investments, cryptoassets now attract most of the alerts. “It is mainly cryptoassets that the requests relate to”explains Anne Delannoy. This can take the form of live trading, but also trading robots sold as automated and foolproof.
Other themes are coming back in force, particularly in a tense geopolitical and economic context. Gold, rare earths, energy products or investments supposedly backed by “green” assets: “ It really rides on the economic situation »summarizes the expert. Scammers adapt their speech to the current climate, always with the same objective: to give credibility to an offer that is not.
AI has changed the game
One of the big new features is the quality of presentation of these scams. Old sites riddled with mistakes and shaky mentions have given way to very clean interfaces, sometimes almost indistinguishable from those of regulated players. “You are dealing with rogue sites that are really very well done, almost copied and pasted from other sites. Even the AMF graphic charter can be perfectly imitated”underlines Anne Delannoy.
Artificial intelligence also facilitates identity theft, false press articles, and even deepfakes featuring personalities supposed to reveal the source of their fortune. To this are added “square scams” : a first victim is contacted again by a false contact presenting himself as a collaborator of the AMF or another institution, promising reimbursement of the lost sums.
Financial scams: the 5 signals that should immediately alert you
Before trusting a single euro, certain indicators should encourage caution.
- The urgency to subscribe
Repeated calls, insistent reminders, feeling of “missing the boat”: scammers play on FOMO, fear of missing out. “ If you are in a hurry to subscribe, this is a sign that should really alert you”insists the expert. A serious investment always takes time for reflection. - A promise of too high a return
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true”insists Anne Delannoy. An investment that promises 10% yield or morewithout or almost no risk, must be considered suspicious. There is no high return without high risk. - The absence of a clear identity in front
No legal notices, no verifiable contact details, no clearly identifiable company name : so many red flags. “You wouldn’t give your credit card number in the street, so why give it on the Internet? » recalls Anne Delannoy. - A usurpation of a regulated actor or known institution
Copied logos, URLs that almost repeat the name of an authorized company, fake advisors claiming to be from a known establishment : these techniques remain common. The AMF itself is regularly usurped. - A very technical and very commercial speech
Fraudsters know how to appear credible. “Scammers use fairly professional language and are relatively credible when approaching potential victims. They have commercial assurance »notes Anne Delannoy. Jargon is therefore not proof of seriousness.
How to check before investing
The first reflex is to check if the interlocutor is authorized to offer the product or service. The AMF refers to its blacklistshis whitelistsas well as to official registers such as Regafi or Orias, depending on the nature of the professional. The AMF also has the AMF Protect Épargne website, which offers a questionnaire to help individuals assess the risk of a scam. In 2025, the authority listed 405 sites on its blacklists and obtained the closure of 179 sites through legal proceedings. A significant figure, even if it does not legally allow all cases to be qualified as “scams” in the strict sense.
The victims are not who we think
Prudent savers are not immune. The urgency, the promise of higher returns than traditional investments and the quality of the staging are sometimes enough to bring down even vigilant profiles. Anne Delannoy recognizes it: the mechanics are based on psychological pressure and the repetition of requests.
The available data also shows that these scams strongly affect under 35 years oldand particularly men, undoubtedly because they are more exposed to certain online investments, notably cryptoassets
