How can the use of increment operators like *= in PHP scripts affect the data processing and manipulation flow?

Using increment operators like *= in PHP scripts can affect the data processing and manipulation flow by potentially causing unexpected behavior or errors if not used correctly. It is important to ensure that the increment operators are used in a way that aligns with the intended logic of the script to avoid unintended consequences.

// Example of correct usage of increment operator *= in PHP
$num = 5;
$num *= 2; // $num now equals 10
echo $num;