Digital Shadow: How in a Post-Money World, Fraudsters Will Steal Not Your Money, But Your Future

[Professor]

Introduction: When Money Becomes Invisible​

Imagine a world where physical money no longer exists. All payments are digital, cryptocurrencies are regulated by the state, and bank accounts have given way to universal digital wallets tied to your identity. It would seem that fraud involving cash, cards, and funds transfers would disappear. But criminals won't disappear — they'll adapt. Their goal will shift from stealing money to stealing something more valuable: your digital self, your access to the system, and your future in the new society.

1. The evolution of fraud: from money to data and privileges​

In a traditional economy, money was the ultimate goal. In a digital post-monetary system:

• Money becomes an entry in a registry, access to which requires identification.
• Value is shifting to data, reputation, and privileges (e.g., access to preferential rates, loans, medical services).
• Fraudsters are attacking not wallets, but digital identities, which become the key to all benefits.

Example:
Instead of stealing $10,000 from your card, an attacker could copy your digital identity to access social benefits, take out a loan in your name, or sell your “reputational history” on the black market.

2. New targets for scammers in the post-money era​

2.1. Identity Hijacking​

Your digital identity is the sum of your biometric data, transaction history, social activity, and government-issued ID. Its theft could allow:

• Get access to all your resources (from bank accounts to health insurance).
• Commit crimes in your name.
• “Sell” your identity to circumvent restrictions (for example, to migrate within digital borders).

2.2. Reputation Fraud​

In a world where credit ratings and social scoring replace money, scammers:

• They create fake transactions to artificially increase their reputation.
• They hack the algorithms that determine “trustworthiness”.
• They offer “reputation improvement services” (similar to today’s fraudulent credit brokers).

2.3. Cyber Extortion 2.0: "Digital Imprisonment"​

Instead of encrypting your files, attackers will block access to your digital identity, demanding a ransom for:

• Restoring access to social services.
• Non-disclosure of compromising data (e.g. fake transaction history).
• The threat of "zeroing out" your reputation account.

2.4. Fraud in Regulated Cryptosystems​

Even regulated cryptocurrencies are vulnerable:

• Attacks on smart contracts with government regulation.
• Corruption in supervisory bodies (for example, entering false entries into the register).
• Creation of fake “regulated” assets (such as digital bonds).

3. Technologies that scammers will use​

• Artificial intelligence for deepfakes in biometric authentication.
• Quantum computing (in the future) to break today's cryptography.
• Social engineering through neural networks – creating personalized phishing attacks.
• Exploitation of vulnerabilities in government digital platforms (for example, in the digital passport system).

4. Victim Psychology: Why People Will Still Get Caught​

The human factor will remain a weak link:

• Digital naivety – people tend to trust “official” interfaces.
• Fear of exclusion from the system - scammers will play on the fear of losing access to digital society.
• The complexity of technology means many won't understand how to protect themselves in the new system.

5. How to protect yourself? Measures for government, businesses, and individuals​

For states:​

• Creation of decentralized identification systems (based on blockchain).
• Regular audits of resource allocation algorithms.
• Developing cyber policing with a focus on crimes against digital identity.

For business:​

• Implementation of multi-factor authentication, including biometrics and behavioral analysis.
• Digital risk insurance.
• Transparency in the use of customer data.

For citizens:​

• Digital hygiene: separation of identities for different areas (e.g. social and financial).
• Regularly check your digital footprints.
• Teaching the basics of cybersecurity from childhood.

Conclusion: New Ethics for the Digital Society​

The post-money world will not become a crime-free utopia. It will give rise to new forms of fraud, where the theft of money will morph into the theft of opportunities, reputation, and even digital existence itself. The key question is whether we can create a system that is not only technologically advanced but also ethically sustainable, where a person's value is not reduced to their digital profile.

Key point:
Money was only an intermediate stage in the evolution of value. In the future, the greatest value will be the system's trust in you — and it is this trust that fraudsters will seek to steal.