While VPN services are increasing in popularity worldwide, experts predict that VPN scams will increase in 2025.
The data suggests eight out of every 10 free vpn services can embed tracking features and over half can sell users’ data to third parties. Free Android VPN are particularly expected to be more vulnerable to malicious activities.
These are the most important predictions to watch out for in the new year, according to experts VPNRanks based on historical data and current trends analyzed through predictive models.
What is the concern?
According to data from Security.orgapproximately 39% of people in the US use a VPN service, and nearly half rely on free software. Among these, two-thirds of users experience security issues.
“While VPNs can offer valuable online privacy, not all VPNs are created equal,” the experts noted.
The best VPN apps are meant to encrypt all data leaving your device to prevent third-party access. At the same time, they also mask your IP address to increase your online privacy and unblock geo-restrictions. “However, some VPNs carry serious risks, especially those that are unreliable or outright scams.”
Experts are particularly concerned about growing privacy threats from free VPNs. They predict that by 2025 around 80% of free VPNs may embed tracking features due to growing monetization. The sale of users’ data to third parties is also likely to rise to around 60% as more VPN services seek revenue from advertisers and other entities.
What are the biggest risks?
The new year could also see one increase in misleading VPN adswith experts expecting YouTube VPN ad viewership to grow to around 103 million.
Fake VPN reviews may be on the rise also to include 37% of all app reviews by 2025. This is quite dangerous because, as experts explain, manipulated reviews can increase an app’s ranking, increase its visibility and downloads. People looking for reliable software can be misled into downloading low-quality or malicious VPN apps.
As mentioned earlier, users of free Android VPNs are set to be particularly vulnerable their data being leaked or their devices being compromised.
Specifically, experts predict that malware could affect 39% of free Android VPNs by 2025. The vast majority (84.5%) will also be affected by IP address leaks, with third-party tracking reaching 76.5%.
Its not just free VPNa recent research found that several popular premium Android VPN apps can also put users’ privacy at risk by suffering some kind of data leak and sharing your personal information.
How to choose a secure VPN
With VPN scams expected to increase, it’s crucial to know what to look out for in your next VPN service before trusting the provider with your sensitive information.
As a rule of thumb, you should only sign up for VPN services with a reputable reputation – even better ones that offer a recent independent review. You should also choose VPNs with strong encryption protocols such as OpenVPN and WireGuard, a good mix of security features – a kill switch and built-in tracking blocker are especially useful – and reliable performance.
Keep in mind that while some services are well-rounded options, some providers are better for certain uses. So, for example, if you need a reliable streaming VPNdo you need software with impeccable unblocking capabilities, fast connection speeds and a well-served server network worldwide.
As we have seen, VPN scams generally target free VPN users. Except that it is often used as a means of spreading malicious software and virus attacks, free services rely on invasive ads and questionable sharing of your personal data to make money. They can also offer weak security infrastructure and poor performance overall.
I recommend avoiding insecure free VPN services and choosing a freemium application instead. PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN are the best options on the market right now.
Even the most secure free VPNs have some limitations. If you need a service for a specific use like streaming or torrenting, you should choose one cheap VPN as Surfshark instead.
