McAfee launches AI tool to combat rising tide of scams

McAfee has launched a new tool, McAfee’s Scam Detector, designed to protect individuals from the increasing threat of online scams.

The announcement comes in response to a surge in scam activity, with research indicating that Brits face an average of ten scam attempts daily. McAfee’s new tool aims to address scams delivered via text, email, and video, and is available within all core McAfee plans at no additional cost.

The rise of AI has enabled cybercriminals to create highly convincing and personalized scams, including deepfake videos and targeted phishing attempts. McAfee’s Scam Detector employs advanced AI to identify and block these scams in real-time.

“At McAfee, we believe everyone should be able to live their lives online with confidence,” said Craig Boundy, CEO of 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.”

McAfee’s Scam Detector includes several key features. It boasts high accuracy, with text scam detection exceeding 99%. McAfee claims the tool goes beyond simply analyzing URLs, using contextual analysis to identify scams.

Users can also customize their protection level with adjustable settings. The detector also offers an on-demand scam check, allowing users to upload messages, screenshots, or links for analysis. Additionally, the tool is capable of deepfake detection, identifying AI-generated videos with 96% accuracy.

McAfee designed the Scam Detector with a mobile-first approach, recognizing that many scams occur on mobile devices. For Android users, SMS messages are automatically scanned, with alerts provided before the user opens them. iPhone users can either filter suspicious messages or manually scan them.

The tool also works across various apps and platforms, including iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo.

https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/scam-detector/

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. McAfee Scam Detector goes beyond the link, analysing 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