As Americans Worry About Trump Policies, Fake Investment Scams Spread

Economic tensions in the U.S., including concerns over the relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, are driving a big boom in “get rich quick” schemes online, with criminals rushing to register malicious domains.

With more than of Americans admitting to living paycheck to paycheck, said Forex broker comparison firm BrokerChooser, searches for get rich quick schemes have shot up by 150% over the past month.

And scammers are exploiting this concern – along with current political internal U.S. political tensions. According to PreCrime Labs, the threat research team at BforeAI, large numbers of domains related to hypothetical conflicts between Donald Trump and Elon Musk are appearing. These domains are often mimicking betting platforms, fake giveaways or crypto multipliers, while promising victims huge returns.

“In the case of the Donald Trump and Elon Musk feud, once Musk publicly voiced his distaste for Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ on June 4, 2025, cybercriminals leapt into action, creating at least 39 new domains aimed at scamming and defrauding internet users,” said the researchers. “All of these new domains
were registered in the following two days, on June 5 and 6, 2025.”

The scammers are using a wide range of low-cost and under-regulated top level domains, said the firm, including “.xyz”, “.space”, “.wtf”, “.live”, “.info”, “.fun”, “.store”, “.icu”, and “.online”.

Many URLs contain keywords like “trumpvselon”, “elonvstrump”, “elonprivateaccess”, “trumploveselon”, “trumpmuskfeud”, along with keywords such as “crypto”, “billiondollar”, “betting”, “private access”, and “game”.

Meanwhile, domains are being configured to leverage Telegram’s messaging API, either by auto-redirecting visitors or by presenting a Telegram bot interface. This is done through client-side scripting or meta-refresh tags, directing individuals to a specific Telegram handle or channel.

“This method is frequently observed in campaigns designed to funnel victims into fraudulent investment schemes, as the domain promotes crypto or facilitates impersonation-based scams”, the researchers said.

“The presence of Telegram integrations and fake app stores used in this campaign represents a shift to multi-channel attack vectors. There is a strong potential that we will continue to see scams spreading to other popular social media platforms, where media consumption and redirection are high.”

In 2024 alone, investment scams netted at least $5.7 billion from American victims, BrokerChooser said.

“Before parting with your money, always verify a company’s license directly on the official regulator’s website and don’t trust links or contact details from emails or messaging apps. Search the company’s name with terms like ‘scam’ or ‘complaints,’ read verified reviews, and check for regulatory warnings”, said Adam Nasli, head analyst at BrokerChooser.

“Be wary of promises like ‘guaranteed returns’ or ‘risk-free’ profits, which are classic red flags. Real investments carry risk, and legitimate firms will be upfront about that. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”