Indians receive 12 scam messages daily says survey, exposes 5 common tricks

Indians receive almost 12 scam texts or emails daily, leading to stress and financial strain, says McAfee survey.

A recent survey reveals that Indians receive almost 12 scam texts or emails daily. These, often disguised as "legitimate communication," lead to considerable stress and financial strain, as consumers spend an average of 1.8 hours each week verifying message authenticity, News18 reported.

AI has boosted scam sophistication. (Shutterstock)

According to McAfee 2023 Scam report, Surveying over 7,000 adults across seven countries, including India, the study delves into the escalating sophistication of scam messages driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The findings underscore the urgent need for AI-driven defence solutions to combat the rising wave of AI-powered scams.

Increase in sophistication

The overwhelming volume and sophistication of scam messages lead the average Indian to spend 105 minutes each week evaluating the authenticity of received messages.

A concerning 82 per cent of Indians admit to falling for or clicking on fake messages. The increasing believability of these messages, with 49 per cent noting a lack of typos or errors, adds to the challenge of identification.

This sophisticated trickery takes five common forms:

• “You’ve won a prize!”

• Info about a purchase the recipient didn’t make

• Fake missed delivery or delivery problem notification

• Amazon security alert, or notification messages regarding account updates

• Netflix (or a similar streaming service) subscription updates

Falling prey to the scam

Approximately 90 per cent of Indians admit to receiving daily fake messages or scams via email and text, with 84 per cent reporting the same for social media.

As scam messages become more advanced, 82 per cent of Indians have clicked on or fallen for them.

The messages they believed the most were:

• “You’ve won a prize!”

• Info about a purchase the recipient didn’t make

• Fake missed delivery or delivery problem notification

• Sign in and location verification messages

What is impact of artificial intelligence?

The rise in AI-powered scams erodes trust in digital communications for 37 per cent of Indian survey respondents.

AI's role in enabling cybercriminals to enhance the sophistication of scam messages is crucial. The speed of phishing and text message scams is alarming, with a new phishing site created every 11 seconds.

However, there is a strong belief in the potential of AI to combat these scams, with 88 per cent expressing trust in AI-driven solutions, and 59 per cent recognising the need for AI to counter AI related scam.