Video Call Scams: How to Protect Yourself

The Rise of Video Call Fraud

Video conferencing has become deeply integrated into professional and personal life since 2020. Zoom processes over 300 million daily meeting participants, Microsoft Teams serves 320 million monthly active users, and Google Meet handles over 100 million daily meetings. This massive adoption has created an equally massive attack surface for scammers who exploit the trust and familiarity people have developed with video call technology.

The FTC reported that video call-related fraud complaints increased 284% between 2022 and 2025. Total reported losses from video conferencing scams exceeded $1.8 billion in 2025, encompassing tech support fraud, investment scams, employment fraud, and romance scams conducted through or facilitated by video calls. The median individual loss was $3,200, but corporate victims lost an average of $145,000 per incident.

What makes video call scams particularly effective is the psychological impact of face-to-face interaction. Research from Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab has shown that people are significantly more trusting of requests made during video calls compared to phone calls or email. Scammers exploit this increased trust by conducting their schemes through video platforms, where victims feel they are interacting with a real person who can be seen and assessed visually.

Fake Tech Support Video Calls

Tech support scams have evolved from cold calling to video conferencing. Scammers initiate contact through pop-up warnings on websites, phishing emails, or cold calls claiming to be from Microsoft, Apple, Google, or a computer security company. They then escalate to a video call, claiming they need to screen share to diagnose and fix the supposed problem.

During the video call, the scammer asks the victim to share their screen and then directs them to download remote access software such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or ConnectWise. Once they have remote access, they may install malware, access banking websites, steal passwords, or lock the computer and demand payment for unlocking it. The video call format adds a layer of apparent professionalism and legitimacy that phone-only scams lack.

A common variant involves the scammer displaying a fake diagnostic scan on their own screen during the call, showing fabricated security threats, viruses, or system errors. This visual "evidence" is extremely convincing to non-technical victims who can see what appears to be a real security scan revealing real problems on their computer.

Investment Pitch Scams via Video

Fraudulent investment pitches have migrated from hotel conference rooms to video conferencing platforms. Scammers host webinars and one-on-one video calls to promote cryptocurrency trading platforms, forex trading systems, real estate investment programs, and other fraudulent financial schemes. The video format allows them to share screens showing fake trading platforms with fabricated profits, display polished presentation materials, and create an atmosphere of professionalism and urgency.

These scams often follow a multi-step process. The initial contact comes through social media ads, YouTube ads, or direct messages on platforms like Instagram and Telegram. The victim is invited to a free "educational" webinar about investing, which is actually a high-pressure sales pitch. Follow-up one-on-one video calls are used to close the sale, with the scammer sharing their screen to show fabricated account balances and trading histories that suggest enormous returns.

The FTC and SEC have issued joint warnings about the surge in video-based investment fraud. Red flags include guaranteed returns, pressure to invest immediately, unregistered investment products, and requests to send money via cryptocurrency or wire transfer. Always verify any investment opportunity independently through the SEC EDGAR database or FINRA BrokerCheck before sending money.

Fake Job Interview Scams

Employment scams using video calls have become increasingly sophisticated. Scammers post fake job listings on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and company career pages, then conduct video interviews that mirror legitimate hiring processes. The goal varies from identity theft to advance-fee fraud to money laundering through "payment processing" positions.

The scam typically involves a professionally conducted video interview where the "hiring manager" asks standard interview questions and discusses the company, role, and compensation. After the interview, the victim receives a job offer contingent on providing personal information including Social Security number, bank account details for "direct deposit setup," and copies of identification documents. This information is then used for identity theft.

In another variant, the victim is told they need to purchase equipment for the remote position, often with a company check that turns out to be fraudulent. By the time the check bounces, the victim has already forwarded money to the supposed equipment supplier -- actually the scammer. The rise of legitimate remote work has made this scam particularly effective, as video interviews for remote positions have become normalized.

Red Flags for Fake Job Interviews

• The interview is conducted entirely through a consumer platform like Zoom or WhatsApp rather than a corporate system
• The interviewer's camera is off or the video quality is suspiciously poor
• The job offer comes unusually quickly, often during or immediately after the first interview
• The company asks for financial information or copies of ID before any official onboarding paperwork
• You are asked to purchase equipment with company funds sent to you in advance
• The compensation offered is significantly above market rate for the position
• The company's online presence is minimal or recently created

Romance Scams Through Video Calls

Video calls have added a dangerous new dimension to romance scams. Historically, romance scammers avoided video calls because they were using stolen photos and could not match the appearance. The advent of real-time deepfake technology and other workarounds has changed this dynamic. Some scammers now use face-swapping apps during video calls, while others hire attractive individuals to stand in during brief video interactions.

The video call is typically kept short and managed carefully by the scammer. Common tactics include claiming a poor internet connection to explain low video quality, keeping the call brief and ending it abruptly with an excuse, positioning the camera at angles that make deepfake artifacts harder to detect, and using filters that obscure facial details while appearing to be normal beauty filters.

For victims, the video call serves as powerful confirmation that the person they have been communicating with is real. This single call can override weeks of red flags and legitimate concerns, making the victim more willing to send money. The emotional investment combined with the visual "proof" of the person's existence creates a devastating combination that has led to individual losses exceeding $100,000 in documented cases.

Meeting Hijacking and Zoom-Bombing

Meeting hijacking occurs when uninvited individuals join video conferences to disrupt, harass, or steal information. While "Zoom-bombing" became widely known in 2020, it has evolved beyond juvenile disruption into a tool for corporate espionage, targeted harassment, and data theft. Attackers access meetings through shared or guessable meeting links, compromised employee accounts, or brute-force attacks on meeting IDs.

Corporate espionage variants are particularly concerning. Attackers join meetings using generic display names that blend with legitimate participants, then silently record confidential discussions about financial results, strategic plans, merger negotiations, or product development. In large meetings with many participants, an additional unknown attendee may go unnoticed for the entire session.

Screen Sharing Dangers

Screen sharing during video calls is one of the most exploited features in video call scams. When you share your screen, everything visible on your monitor is transmitted to other participants, including email notifications that pop up during the call, browser tabs with personal or financial information, saved passwords visible in browser autofill, desktop files and folder names, and cached login sessions for banking and other sensitive sites.

Scammers specifically target screen sharing to harvest this information. In tech support scams, they direct victims to open banking websites or email accounts while screen sharing is active. In investment scams, they watch as victims navigate to their actual brokerage accounts, capturing login credentials and account details. Even seemingly innocuous information visible during screen sharing can be used for social engineering attacks later.

Before sharing your screen in any video call, close all unnecessary applications, disable notifications, close email and messaging applications, use a clean browser with no sensitive tabs open, and consider using a separate user profile or virtual desktop for screen sharing sessions. Never share your screen with anyone who contacted you unsolicited.

Platform Security Settings

Zoom Security Checklist

• Enable meeting passwords for all meetings
• Enable waiting room to screen participants before admitting
• Disable "Join Before Host" to prevent early access
• Lock the meeting after all expected participants have joined
• Disable file transfer in meetings to prevent malware distribution
• Restrict screen sharing to host only unless needed
• Use randomly generated meeting IDs instead of your Personal Meeting ID

Microsoft Teams Security Checklist

• Use meeting lobby for all external participants
• Restrict who can present to specific individuals
• Disable anonymous join for organizational meetings
• Review and manage guest access policies
• Enable meeting attendance reports to identify unknown participants

Complete Protection Checklist

FAQ: Video Call Scams

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Report fraud to law enforcement and the FTC.