McAfee's Scam Detector Added to Core Plans, Protecting People Against Text, Email, and Video Scams
'At McAfee, we believe everyone should be able to live their lives online with confidence,' said Craig Boundy, CEO of online protection company McAfee. 'The reality is that the volume, speed, and sophistication of today's AI-driven scams have become a drain on people's time, energy, and finances. By including text, email, and video scam detection within all core McAfee plans, we're helping to democratize scam protection and empowering people to take control over their digital lives.'
As cybercriminals harness AI to craft convincing, personalized, and targeted scams at scale, it's harder than ever to tell what's real or fake. From deepfake investment videos to bogus delivery emails and fake toll text message scams, Americans face an average of 14 scams each day, according to McAfee's research. Falling for just one can cost victims an average of $1,500.
Smart protection made simple
As scams become more advanced, McAfee is evolving to meet the threat with Scam Detector – proactive protection that's simple, powerful, and built for the way people connect today. Between February and March 2025 alone, McAfee Labs saw scam texts nearly quadruple, with almost half of texts containing URLs using hidden links to disguise malicious intent. Scam Detector uses advanced AI to spot and stop scams across text, email, and video before they can do harm, delivering real-time protection when and where it matters most. Core capabilities include:
Proven accuracy: Text scam detection exceeds 99% accuracy
Smarter detection: Suspicious text messages identified solely using URLs account for less than 10% of the scams McAfee flags. We go beyond the link, analyzing the full context of each message to better identify and stop scams
Custom controls: Settings (High, Balanced, Low) let people tailor their level of protection
On-demand scam check: Upload a message, screenshot, or link for speedy analysis and context
Deepfake detection: Identifies AI-generated videos with 96% accuracy in seconds
Built for modern communication: Works across apps, browsers, and devices, including iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Gmail, and more
Designed with a mobile-first approach, McAfee's Scam Detector meets people where scams happen most. With texts opened in just 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for email 2, speed is essential. On Android, SMS messages are auto-scanned, with alerts before opening, and on iPhone, suspicious messages are filtered or manually scanned via a quick check function.
Scam Detector also protects email, flagging scams in Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo, while explaining why messages were flagged to help customers build their scam-spotting skills. For deepfake detection, McAfee identifies AI-manipulated videos on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms, all processed on-device to protect the person's privacy. In February 2025, McAfee Labs saw 59% of deepfake detections come from YouTube, more than all other domains combined. March showed similar trends, reinforcing YouTube's role as a primary source of deepfake content and the growing need for tools that help people tell what's real and what's not.
Keep it Real: Turning stories into strength, and losses into lessons
While the financial damage of scams makes headlines, the emotional fallout is rarely highlighted. McAfee's Keep it Real initiative is built to drive awareness, education, and empathy around scams. It combines thought-provoking ads with Scam Stories, a movement inviting survivors to share their experiences online, on social, or with McAfee directly. Amplifying real voices reduces stigma, raises awareness of McAfee's Scam Detector, and helps people recognize red flags to stay safer online.
'Shame keeps victims silent, and that silence is exactly what scammers count on,' said Ally Armeson, Executive Director of FightCybercrime.org. 'Scam Stories is about making space for honesty, healing, hope, and help. We're proud to partner with McAfee to help survivors speak out and share stories that will help others stay safe, and we look forward to working with them as we continue to help people recognize, report, and recover from cybercrime.'
Actor Chris Carmack and his wife, performer Erin Slaver, are helping launch the movement by sharing their own scam experiences – from Carmack ignoring a real bill he thought was fake, to Erin falling for a shopping scam, and Erin's parents clicking on a scam text disguised as a message from their internet provider.
'Scams aren't just stories, they're happening to people we love,' said Carmack. 'It's getting harder to tell what's real, and that's especially scary when we think about our parents and kids. That's why we're proud to share our scam stories – because every story shared helps break the stigma, raise awareness, and protect more people from falling into the same traps.'
As part of Scam Stories, McAfee is helping scam survivors share their stories and, in working with companies like ticket marketplace Vivid Seats, is helping to give back and deliver meaningful experiences to scam survivors. In every Scam Story, McAfee's Scam Detector would have flagged the scam before it caused harm.
Brittany, a second grade teacher, had saved for months to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour with friends – but days before the show, her tickets vanished from her account. A reused password, no two-factor authentication, and a single click on a suspicious link had let a scammer in. 'I was so excited – and then the tickets were just… gone,' she said. 'You can be careful and still get caught. I'm only human, and that's exactly what scammers count on.'
Cory, a fitness coach who texts with clients daily, clicked a fake verification message during a hectic day – and within minutes, his phone number was hijacked. He couldn't call, text, or access any accounts tied to his number. 'I was in the middle of a busy day and clicked without thinking. My phone stopped working almost immediately,' he said. The experience left him shaken and determined to help others avoid the same trap: 'It was one click. That's all it took.'
Bradley, a new dad running on little sleep, got a convincing call from someone posing as the IRS – complete with personal details and urgent threats. Exhausted and anxious, he clicked a follow-up link, sent $800, and unknowingly gave scammers access to his bank account. 'I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to fix it fast,' he said. Nearly a year later, he still hasn't told his family. 'Scammers prey on stress. If someone demands money right away, stop and verify.'
'Scams steal more than money - they shake your confidence. That's why we're pairing powerful AI scam detection with real-world education through our Keep it Real campaign,' Boundy said. 'This call to action empowers people to spot scams, share their stories, and stay safer – and end the silence scammers count on.'
'Vivid Seats' mission has always been to remove the anxiety from buying tickets online which is why trust and safety are at the core of everything we do,' said Stan Chia, CEO of Vivid Seats. 'We're proud to provide all fans with a reliable, and safe ticketing experience, and to have the chance to partner with McAfee to help these victims recover, rebuild confidence, and get back to doing what they love – enjoying live events.'
To learn more, submit your own scam story, or get protected today, visit https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/scam-stories. To learn more about McAfee's Scam Detector and how to protect yourself, visit https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/scam-detector. Together, we can outsmart scammers and create a safer, more informed, empowered world.
About McAfee
https://www.McAfee.com/.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Nearly 95% of homebuyers in this major US city want to move away
Stop us if you've heard this before: People are increasingly choosing affordable living in the suburbs over big-city living and amenities. A surge in pandemic-driven remote work is mostly behind the shift in the last half decade, but rapidly rising average home ownership costs are equally to blame in recent years. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Stagnant interest rates, tariff uncertainty and growing housing inventory across the U.S. continue to paint a hazy picture of what's next for the residential real estate market. Still, who among us hasn't channeled our inner Wilson from "Home Improvement" and peeked over the proverbial Zillow, Redfin, or fence on occasion? Realtor's recently released Q2 2025 cross-market demand report shows shoppers are browsing outside of their current market nearly 60% of the time. That metric has grown from 48.1% of all listing views in Q2 2019 to 58.9% last quarter. That was down just a tick from 59.8% in Q1, though. Related: Top 5 states where foreign buyers are scooping up US real estate Among the four major U.S. regions, residents in Western states are most guilty of peeking across city limits - 65% of the time - as has been the case for the trailing six years. However, the Northeast isn't too far behind, as affordability in densely populated spots like Boston, Providence, and New York remain unsustainable for many. Still, a major California city held claim to the highest percentage of residents ogling listings outside of where they currently call home. Digging into the data, Q2 report pinpointed San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, as the No. 1 metro losing popularity among local residents. A whopping 93.7% of home shoppers in the area are looking for their next residence outside of the metro. More News: Moody's drops 2-word warning on housing marketHomeowners can earn new cash-back rewards on mortgage payments soonDave Ramsey has blunt advice on bankruptcy for Americans buying a home now "Specifically, around 60% of views were to other parts of California, while nearly 35% targeted properties in other states," Realtor's Jiayi Xu wrote. "The most popular in-state destination was San Francisco, while Reno, NV, led among out-of-state views." Located 50 miles southeast of San Francisco, San Jose's population sat just north of one million people in the most recent 2020 U.S. census, making it the 10th largest city in the U.S. While this trend is eye-popping, this isn't exactly anything new, considering San Jose held down the top spot in the country in Q2 last year as well. The same holds true for the No. 2-ranked (with 86.4%) locale, Washington, D.C. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 metros losing homebuyers' interest last quarter were Seattle (80.5%), Salt Lake City (77%), Stockton (72.9%), Durham/Chapel Hill (72.6%), Chicago (72.6%), Denver (72.1%), Boston (72%), and New York/Newark (71.7%). Boston was the fast riser year-over-year, jumping from No. 26 to No. 9, all while Massachusetts' capital city also ranks No. 4 overall when zooming out over the past six years. Related: Former Warren Buffett exec makes bold real estate bet The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
U.S. still looking at 10% baseline tariff, not higher, Lutnick says
The U.S. still intends to put a baseline tariff of 10% on many smaller countries, despite recent suggestions it could go higher, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday. Why it matters: It's a small sign of relief for the market, which has watched nervously as President Trum p repeatedly suggested in recent days that baseline rates could go to 15% or even 20%. Catch up quick: Earlier this month, Trump sent letters to dozens of countries, unilaterally setting tariff rates as of August 1. Hundreds more are expected in the coming days. So far, only one of those countries, Indonesia, has made a nominal deal for a better rate than the letter imposed, though it's not clear if that arrangement is anywhere close to finalized. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that Americans — including the impact of the August 1 letters — now face the highest tariff rate since 1910, an average cost of $2,800 per household this year. What they're saying: "You should assume that the small countries, the Latin American countries, the Caribbean countries, many countries in Africa, they will have a baseline tariff of 10%," Lutnick said on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday. "The bigger economies will either open themselves up or they'll pay a fair tariff to America," he said. Zoom out: Lutnick said August 1 was a hard deadline, and that no nation was going to "negotiate away" tariffs entirely. "10% is definitely going to stay. Many countries will pay higher," he said. The intrigue: CBS released a new poll Sunday morning showing 60% of respondents oppose tariffs, and 61% believe the administration is putting too much emphasis on tariffs. Lutnick dismissed the finding."They're going to love the deals that President Trump and I are doing. They're just going to love them," he said. He also dismissed any concerns about tariffs causing prices to rise. "I think you're going to see inflation stay right where it is," he said. The recent CPI report showed inflation has been creeping steadily higher in recent months, including in the goods categories most exposed to tariffs.
Time Magazine
3 hours ago
- Time Magazine
What Is a Panican? White House Revives Trump Insult
The White House has revived one of President Donald Trump's self-coined insults, something that has become widely used by the MAGA base. In a post shared across its official social media accounts on Truth Social, X, Instagram, and Facebook, the White House uploaded a picture of Trump strolling outside of the presidential home. The picture was captioned: 'Walking into the weekend knowing you were never a panican.' The term 'panican' is now often used by those within the MAGA base, since Trump publicly coined the turn of phrase in April, in the direct aftermath of his "reciprocal" tariffs being announced on his so-called 'Liberation Day.' The sweeping global tariffs (most of which, for the majority of countries, were then paused for 90 days, sans for the baseline 10% levies) caused mass panic and recession fears. But Trump, as he has done many times since, pushed back against the criticism, urging Americans to not be a 'panican.' 'The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done decades ago,' Trump said on April 7. 'Don't be weak! Don't be stupid! Don't be a PANICAN. (A new party based on weak and stupid people). Be strong, courageous, and patient, and greatness will be the result!' This isn't the first time Trump has made up a word and used it on the global stage. In 2017, he caused amusement and confusion when he used the word 'covfefe' on social media. But his coining of 'panican' has taken on a life of its own within the MAGA base, and Trump's inner circle has been using the term to abandon. An article posted to the official White House website on July 15 featured a quote by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, whereby she claimed: 'Every month since President Trump took office, core inflation—the best measure of inflation—has beat or matched expectations. The data proves that President Trump is stabilizing inflation and the 'panicans' continue to be wrong about tariffs raising prices.' In response to the article, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly used the turn of phrase, querying via X: 'Are the PANICANS tired of losing yet?' The White House had also earlier used the term in a July 9 article titled 'Trust in Trump.' And other U.S. government departments have been freely using the word, too. In June, in response to an article that reported the U.S. economy had added more jobs in May than expected, the official X account of the U.S. Department of Labor said: 'Bad day to be a panican.' But the colloquial use of the term has prompted criticism from some. Andrew Bates, who served as the White House's senior deputy press secretary under the Biden Administration, said on July 15: 'Never seen a White House show this much disrespect for their base. Right when we learn Trump's tariffs are worsening inflation—breaking his #1 campaign promise, they attack Americans' concerned about costs as 'panicans.'' The term 'panican' is largely emblematic of Trump's attitude throughout his tariff negotiations. In February, when floating the idea of his tariffs, Trump told Americans that though there may be 'a little pain' in the interim, in the end, his strategy would be beneficial to the American economy. Many economists have worried that Trump's tariffs will cause inflation and hurt growth by hiking up gas and grocery prices. But the Trump Administration has argued that inflation is 'right on target' under Trump and that 'panicans' are wrong for worrying. Trump originally announced his 'reciprocal" tariffs in early April, and offered a 90-day reprieve for most countries to allow for negotiations. That deadline expired on July 9. However, just two days before the time was up, Trump Administration officials announced a new deadline of Aug. 1, stating that the higher tariffs would come into effect on that day. Since that announcement, Trump has been sending letters regarding trade deals to countries across the globe, and has taken to sharing those letters on his Truth Social account. Some negotiations have fared better than others. While Trump recently secured an agreement with Indonesia, he's in tough negotiations with the E.U., who have expressed their discontent over receiving a letter from Trump announcing a planned 30% tariff. Trump's frequent changing of his policies and deadlines has led to his propensity for nicknames to be turned right back on him. Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong coined the acronym 'Trump Always Chickening Out,' shortened as 'TACO,' in May to describe Trump's pattern of causing mass panic around major international policy decisions, before walking them back or delaying them. When asked about the term by a reporter in the Oval Office, Trump had a strong reaction, accusing the reporter of asking a 'nasty question' and warned 'don't ever say what you said.' Meanwhile, on Sunday, Trump celebrated his first six months in office. 'Today is [the] sixth month anniversary of my second term. Importantly, it's being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President,' Trump claimed. 'In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars of countries not related to us other than through trade and/or, in certain cases, friendship. Six months is not a long time to have totally revived a major country.'Trump's actions regarding tariffs has undoubtedly been a defining factor of the first six months of his second term as President. Also making an impact has been the Trump Administration's social media approach. The White House social media accounts and Trump's own POTUS platforms have consistently used memes to depict Trump as anything from the classic superhero Superman to the Pope. The White House has also shared posts deemed 'offensive and divisive' about immigrant communities and has even posted an AI-generated image of a political opponent crying. Amid concerns over its social media content, on July 12, the White House argued: 'Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we can't post banger memes.'
