Cyber Scams — AI Makes it a Seriously Growing Issue
Published June 23, 2026 at 2:11 PM · News Releases and Bulletins
These days cyber scammers are impersonating government agencies, banks, technical team members and even family members. AI technology has made it much easier for these criminals to impersonate them via videos, emails and websites.
BrokerChooser says impersonation scams have jumped 400% since 2020. Older adults — BrokerChooser notes — are the most vulnerable to these scammers. This is especially true when it comes to retirement funds.
Scams have increased 400% since 2020, according to recent research conducted by BrokerChooser. Even more disheartening: Statistics indicate that older adults are most vulnerable to imposter scams as scammers are especially enticed by retirement funds.
Adam Nasli is BrokerChooser’s head broker analyst. He said the first thing to watch for is high pressure tactics.
“Imposters often demand immediate action, threaten account freezes or insist you transfer funds to 'secure' your assets, hoping to cloud judgment with panic,” he said. “Always pause and verify the request directly with official channels, and never hand over personal information or make transfers on the spot. Legitimate banks and brokers rarely call you out of the blue for sensitive data, so stay skeptical."
These are the states BrokerChooser says are most vulnerable to imposter scams. Four PIA Western Alliance states — Oregon (2), Nevada (5), Washington (6) and Arizona (9) — are in the top-10:
1. Delaware
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,299
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $3,357,694
2. Oregon
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,224
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $13,501,754
3. Colorado
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,160
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $15,299,415
4. Florida
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,157
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $65,579.488
5. Nevada
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,120
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $9,280,053
6. Washington
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,091
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $18,617,543
7. Maryland
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,076
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $14,655,942
8. Illinois
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,026
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $28,283,409
9. Arizona
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,010
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $26,334,452
10. Utah
Total imposter reports per million in 2025: 1,008
Total imposter scam losses 2025: $5,120,843
Beazley's Spotlight on Cyber Threats and Tech Advances 2026 report said AI is the biggest worry and is powering most of the recent attacks. The company says this is how the bad actors are getting into our computers, businesses and lives:
Compromised credentials via VPN
2025 3rd Quater percent of attacks: 48%
2025 4th Quarter percent of attacks: 54%
External service exploit
2025 3rd Quater percent of attacks: 23%
2025 4th Quarter percent of attacks: 32%
Compromised credentials via RDS
2025 3rd Quater percent of attacks: 6%
2025 4th Quarter percent of attacks: 4%
Supply chain attack
2025 3rd Quater percent of attacks: 8%
2025 4th Quarter percent of attacks: 4%
Social engineering
2025 3rd Quater percent of attacks: 6%
2025 4th Quarter percent of attacks: 7%
Munich Re's Cyber Insurance: Risks and Trends report says more protection is needed. Board of management member, Stefan Golling said there are four drivers: ransomware, data breaches, business email compromise (BEC) and distributed denial of service (DDoS).
Ransomware attacks rose 50% in 2025 and is the top cause of cyber insurance claims.
"In response to powerful geopolitical, technological and economic stressors, companies need to focus equally strongly on resilience and protection,” Golling said. “Operating in the digital era involves threats that no business leader can afford to neglect: It is long overdue that the long heightened risk awareness translates into adequate C-level action.”
Munich Re says these are the industries most affected in 2025:
1. Governments
2. Manufacturing
3. Technology
4. Financial services
5. Telecommunications
6. Education
7. Utilities and energy
8. Legal and professional services
9. Healthcare
10. Media and entertainment
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