Trend Micro Predicts 2026 As The Year Scams Become Ai-Driven, Ai-Scaled, And Emotion-Engineered
Trend Micro, Monday, December 29th, 2025
Trend Micro released its 2026 Consumer Security Predictions Report, warning that the coming year will see scams reach unprecedented AI-driven scale as automation reshapes how fraudsters target victims. From synthetic relationships to multi-channel fraud journeys, cybercriminals are merging automation with emotional manipulation, creating unprecedented speed, realism, and scale.
Read the full report: 'url "https://www.trendmicro.com/explore/2026-consumer-threat-predictions" "2026 Scam Predictions: How AI and Emotion Are Re-Engineering Global Scams"'
Lynette Owens, Vice President of Consumer Education & Marketing at Trend Micro: 'We are entering an era where cybercriminals are employing AI to make their deception both effortless and highly personalized. Consumers are being targeted in ways that are harder for them to discern by the once easily recognizable hallmarks of suspicious content. The challenge ahead is how to ensure consumers have both the skills and tools to protect themselves from modern digital threats versus those of the past.'