82% Indians are falling victims to these fake messages: McAfee reveals scam list

McAfee, a renowned cybersecurity company, recently conducted its first-ever Global Scam Message Study, aiming to comprehend the impact of scam messages and the growing sophistication of scams powered by artificial intelligence (AI) on consumers worldwide. Over 7,000 adults from seven countries, including India, took part in the study.

According to the study, Indians receive an average of 12 fake messages or scams per day, and they spend approximately 1.8 hours per week identifying these fraudulent messages. Shockingly, a staggering 82% of Indians have fallen victim to these fake messages. The most common types of scams reported are fake job notifications/offers (64%) and bank alert messages (52%).

The survey conducted in India further revealed that 60% of respondents find it increasingly challenging to identify scam messages as hackers are utilizing AI to make them more believable. Additionally, 49% of individuals mentioned that these scam messages are now error-free, highly convincing, and even contain personal information, making them harder to recognize.


Here are some examples of the types of scam messages that people have fallen for:
- "You've won a prize!" – 72%
- Fake job notifications or offers – 64%
- Bank alert messages – 52%
- Information about a purchase the recipient didn't make – 37%
- Netflix (or similar) subscription updates – 35%
- Fake missed delivery or delivery problem notifications – 29%
- Amazon security alerts or account update notifications – 27%

The study also highlighted that Indians spend an average of 105 minutes per week verifying the authenticity of messages. Furthermore, 90% of individuals receive fake messages via email and text on a daily basis, while 84% encounter them on social media. Shockingly, 82% of participants admitted to clicking on these fake messages.

The most commonly believed scam messages among Indians are:

- "You've won a prize!" – 41%
- Fake missed delivery or delivery problem notifications – 23%
- Information about a purchase the recipient didn't make – 24%
- Sign-in and location verification messages – 24%

As a consequence of the rise in AI-powered scams, 37% of Indian survey respondents reported a decrease in their trust in digital communications. Many Indians are uncertain about the appropriate measures to protect themselves from these scams. To cope with this knowledge gap, individuals adopt various strategies: 28% ignore scam emails, 28% block the sender, and 31% report the messages. However, despite their concerns, 88% of Indians trust AI to detect online scams, with 59% believing that AI is necessary to combat AI.

To safeguard yourself from scam messages, here are some recommended practices:
1. Always think before you click.
2. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Utilize scam protection software to block dangerous links in text messages, social media platforms, or web browsers.