Unusual Whales

Online scammers scam 20% of the U.S. adults they encounter

Unusual Whales -

One in five American adults who have encountered online scams have fallen victim and lost money, according to a new report by Consumer Reports.

Why it matters: Scams are now a common part of nearly everyone's online experience, and new AI tools are making them more convincing and easier to fall for.

By the numbers: The report from Consumer Reports, Aspen Digital, and the Global Cyber Alliance, released Tuesday, found that 46% of American adults have encountered a scam or cyberattack.

  • Black and Hispanic Americans were more likely to lose money, with one-third of Black respondents and 30% of Hispanic respondents reporting financial losses to scams, compared to 13% of white Americans.
  • Consumer Reports conducted part of the study through an April survey of 2,042 U.S. adults.

Zoom in: Around half of the scam attempts reported by Americans started through email (30%) or social media (23%).

  • One in five scams began via text messages or messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.
  • 22% of those targeted said their social media account was hacked, while 11% reported email hacking.
  • 27% said scammers impersonated their bank or credit card company, and another 27% said the scammers pretended to offer tech support.

The big picture: People are being overwhelmed by scammers, especially on social media.

  • 67% said they’ve received a friend request from someone they don't know, and nearly half reported receiving suspicious messages on social media.

The other side: A separate Consumer Reports survey in May revealed that 80% of U.S. adults use multifactor authentication, up from 76% last year.

  • 83% have used text-based login codes, though many security experts warn that these can be intercepted.
  • 54% use a separate app, like Google Authenticator, for security codes.
  • 25% have confirmed their identity using voice verification over the phone.

Between the lines: New AI tools are making it even easier for scammers to deceive Americans.

  • Hackers are using AI chatbots to refine their phishing emails, making them harder to recognize.
  • AI can also help scammers create lifelike clones of someone's voice or appearance, further enhancing their ability to trick people.