The European Commission published a study mapping online financial scams and countermeasures to support its supervisory and enforcement tasks under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Carried out by Open Evidence and Spark Legal and Policy Consulting, the report examines how fraudulent schemes operate across online intermediary services.
Scam Typologies and Exploited Features
The study categorizes online financial scams into six broad categories: investment scams, romance scams, e-commerce scams, employment and collaboration scams, unexpected gain scams, and disaster relief scams. According to the findings, investment and romance scams are the most common and fastest-growing forms of scams in Europe.
The report presents information on platform features related to scams, including advertising systems, recommender systems, content moderation, monetisation systems, app store content, private messaging functions, inauthentic identities, and generative AI. The study notes that financial scams are facilitated by organized criminal networks selling tools and services.
Countermeasures for Platforms
To address these threats, the study identifies relevant countermeasures across four categories. Access and gatekeeping measures, such as know-your-business-customer and identity requirements, act as a first line of defense against online financial scams.
Additional countermeasures include detection and removal measures, user-facing tools such as reporting options and redress information, and platform-level policies involving third-party cooperation to prevent and address online scams.
Key facts and where they come from
- The European Commission procured the study to support its tasks under the Digital Services Act.
The European Commission has procured this study in 2025 to support its supervisory and enforcement tasks under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
- The report was carried out by Open Evidence and Spark Legal and Policy Consulting.
The study was carried out by Open Evidence and Spark Legal and Policy Consulting.
- Investment and romance scams are identified as the most common and fastest-growing forms of scams in Europe.
The study finds that investment scams and romance scams are the most common and fastest-growing forms of scams in Europe.
