Welcome to the primary version of This Week in Scams, a brand new weekly sequence from McAfee breaking down the most recent fraud developments, headlines, and real-time threats we’re detecting throughout the digital panorama.
This week, we’re spotlighting the FBI’s surprising new cybercrime report, the rise of AI-generated deepfakes, and a refined Gmail impersonation rip-off flagged by Google. We’re additionally seeing a surge in location-specific toll scams and pretend supply alerts—a reminder that staying forward of scammers begins with understanding how they function.
Let’s dive in.
Scams Making Headlines
$16.6 Billion Lost to Online Scams in 2024
The FBI’s newest Internet Crime Report is right here—and the numbers are staggering. Americans misplaced $16.6 billion to on-line scams final 12 months, up from $12.5 billion in 2023. Older adults and crypto buyers had been hit particularly onerous, however the company warns the true complete is probably going a lot greater, since many victims by no means report the crime.
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AI-Powered Deepfake Scams Get More Convincing
Deepfake-enabled fraud has already brought about greater than $200 million in monetary losses in simply the primary quarter of 2025.
McAfee researchers estimate the common American sees three deepfakes per day, lots of that are designed to imitate actual folks, providers, or information tales. Whether it’s faux crypto pitches, job gives, or social media stunts—seeing is not believing.
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Google Warns Users of Sophisticated Email Scam
Google is alerting Gmail customers to a brand new kind of phishing e mail that appears prefer it comes from Google itself. These messages typically seem in reliable e mail threads and go all typical safety checks, however lead victims to a cloned Google login web page designed to steal credentials. The rip-off highlights how attackers are evolving to outsmart conventional filters.
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From Experts at McAfee
McAfee Researchers have noticed a current surge within the following rip-off varieties:
Fake Delivery Notifications: Scammers impersonate supply providers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx, sending faux monitoring hyperlinks that set up malware or steal fee information
Invoice Scams: Fraudulent messages that declare you owe cash for a services or products, typically accompanied by a faux bill PDF or request for fee by way of cellphone
Cloud Storage Spoofs: Emails that faux to be from Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, prompting you to “log in” to view shared recordsdata. The hyperlinks result in phishing websites designed to seize your credentials.
Toll Text Scams: Personalized smishing messages that declare you owe a toll and hyperlink to faux fee websites. These messages typically use location knowledge—like your space code or current metropolis visits—to look reliable. McAfee Labs noticed toll rip-off texts spike almost 4x between January and February.
This week, Steve Grobman, govt vp and chief expertise officer at McAfee, mentioned the toll rip-off is efficient as a result of it hits all the proper social factors for a client.
These scams typically depend on urgency and familiarity—pretending to be one thing you belief or count on—to get you to behave rapidly with out double-checking.
How to Stay One Step Ahead
- Be skeptical of emails—even from acquainted senders.
The Gmail rip-off reveals that even official-looking messages might be faux. If an e mail asks you to log in, don’t click on the hyperlink. Instead, go to the web site straight via your browser and log in from there. - Understand how deepfakes are getting used.
Whether it’s a voice message from somebody or a video of a public determine selling an funding, deepfakes are designed to take advantage of belief. If a message pressures you to behave urgently—particularly involving cash—decelerate and confirm it via one other channel. - Don’t assume personalization means legitimacy.
Scams just like the toll fraud texts really feel actual as a result of they embrace particular location knowledge. But scammers can use leaked or bought private knowledge to tailor messages. Just as a result of it sounds correct doesn’t imply it’s reliable. - Watch for emotional triggers.
The best scams—whether or not it’s a faux help e mail, a journey deal, or a message a few missed toll—create urgency or panic. If one thing is pushing you to behave quick, that’s your cue to cease and confirm. - Protect your self with instruments that transcend primary filters.
Traditional spam filters aren’t sufficient anymore. Use safety instruments—like McAfee Scam Detector—that take a look at full message context and assist flag superior scams, impersonation makes an attempt, and deepfakes earlier than they trigger hurt.
Thanks for studying—See you subsequent week with extra rip-off alerts, insights, and safety suggestions from the McAfee crew.
