Fraud tricks are increasingly being "upgraded
The survey was conducted online on the Association's platforms with the participation of 60,300 individual users nationwide. The results showed that on average, about 555 people participating in the survey said that 1 person was a victim of online scams, equivalent to a rate of 0.18% (in 2024, for every 220 people, 1 person was scammed, the rate reached 0.45%).
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vu Ngoc Son - Head of the Technology Department of the National Cyber Security Association - said that for the first time in many years, online scams recorded a decrease in the number of victims. This result reflects the impact of drastic measures by functional agencies, especially specialized projects to crack down on cross-border scam groups deployed in 2025.
However, the decrease in the number of victims does not mean that users may be subjective. "The subjects will find ways to apply new technologies, even experiment with new tricks and forms to evade measures to prevent and combat fraud, the risk to users is still constant in cyberspace" - Mr. Vu Ngoc Son emphasized.
Mr. Nguyen Cao Son (Quang Ninh) is a lucky victim who did not lose money, but his personal information was stolen. At the end of 2025, he received a fake call from a police officer about a money laundering case, requesting to install an application to "verify". Although he was not advised to transfer money, Mr. Son still accidentally installed a fake application. Just a few hours later, his social media account and email were taken over, and he was used to text to borrow money from relatives.
A 2025 survey also shows that scammers still mainly use familiar scenarios such as impersonating agencies and organizations; impersonating winnings; impersonating shippers; impersonating acquaintances; making emotional friends or inviting financial investment. These tricks are increasingly being "upgraded" in terms of scenarios, technology and psychology, making it difficult for users to distinguish between real and fake.
According to the Head of the Technology Department of the National Cyber Security Association, only 32.12% of victims said they had reported the incident to functional agencies. Meanwhile, 12.03% accepted losing money without further action, causing difficulties for investigation and early warning.
62,952 new types of malware detected
Besides scams, malware is still a major threat to individual users. A survey by the National Cybersecurity Association shows that in 2025, 34.13% of users experienced at least one incident related to malware, a significant increase compared to 23.40% in 2024.
The nTrust fraud prevention and control system also recorded up to 62,952 new types of malware on mobile phones detected in Vietnam in 2025. Among these, there are 931 types of software that counterfeit common applications to steal information or take control of devices, posing great risks to personal data and finance.
In the positive direction, users' awareness and network security skills have improved significantly. In 2025, 83.23% of survey participants said they paid attention to reading access rights when installing applications. 56.80% often check information before transferring money. 83.20% actively used strong passwords and verified two factors for important accounts.
Notably, 60.20% of survey participants said that they have researched or participated in network security skills training courses. According to the National Cyber Security Association, this is a positive sign in the context of strong digital transformation.
Stepping into 2026, Mr. Vu Ngoc Son warned that forms of fraud applying Deepfake technology will increase, with the ability to create fake images, videos and voices with high authenticity. These contents can be exploited to impersonate acquaintances, agency leaders or representatives of financial organizations, making it very difficult for people to distinguish if they lack skills and updated information.
Also according to Mr. Son, malware will still be a common threat when artificial intelligence allows cybercriminals to automate the creation of new variants and selectively attack each user group. The effectiveness of new laws on personal data protection and network security will create positive changes, but the amount of data that has been leaked before is still at risk of being exploited.
In that context, raising awareness and digital skills for people, in parallel with completing the legal corridor and strengthening data protection capacity, is considered a key solution to minimize network security risks in the coming time.
