The rise in scams is fueling anxiety, with 59% of Americans saying they’re more concerned about being scammed online than they were at this time last year. McAfee Labs research indicates these concerns have merit, highlighting a significant surge in unsolicited holiday shopping emails starting in early October. Black Friday emails alone saw a 495% increase from October to early November. Similarly, Christmas-related emails rose by 314% during the same period. This trend suggests that scam-related risks will continue to escalate throughout the holiday season, and consumers should stay aware.
Key takeaways:
- McAfee's 2024 Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study reveals a growing concern over AI-powered scams, including deepfakes, impacting holiday shoppers.
- 78% of Americans believe cybercriminals increase their activity during the holidays and 88% say AI is impacting the number and sophistication of online scams during the holiday season.
- AI-generated deepfakes now pose a threat, especially to younger shoppers. While 1 in 5 Americans have unknowingly paid for fake products endorsed by deepfake versions of celebrities, the impact is greater among Gen Z and Millennials.
- To stay safe this season, McAfee recommends thinking before clicking on links, using AI to beat AI, detecting deepfakes, and investing in holistic online protection like McAfee+.