McAfee Launches AI-powered Scam Protection to Spot and Block Scams in Real-Time

• McAfee’s patented and powerful AI technology addresses the rise in AI-generated phishing scams by proactively detecting URLs for you.
• McAfee Scam Protection™ combines advanced AI with the best in human threat intelligence to automatically identify and alert you of dangerous URLs in texts, before you open or click on them.
• McAfee’s industry-leading AI technology detects and protects you in real time from never-before-seen threats and scams – whether that’s dangerous links shared on text, email, search results, or social media

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–McAfee Corp., a global leader in online protection, has today announced the launch of AI-powered, McAfee Scam Protection^TM. The latest feature in McAfee’s product suite draws on patented artificial intelligence (AI) technology to turn the tables on cybercriminals using AI to turbocharge¹ scams and deceive people out of thousands of dollars.

With the help of AI, cybercriminals are creating more convincing, personalized scams, at scale. Phishing scams are the number one² cybersecurity threat worldwide, with a new phishing site created every 11 seconds³. Last year Americans lost $330 million to text scams alone, more than double the previous year, with an average reported loss of $1,000⁴. The deluge of these new sophisticated AI-generated scams is making it harder than ever to tell real from fake with half (52%) of Americans concerned that AI has made online scams more accurate and believable⁵. Which is where McAfee comes in.

McAfee Scam Protection will proactively spot and block the scam for you. No more wondering if a delivery message or bank notification text is real or not, as McAfee’s patented AI technology instantaneously detects malicious links to stop you before you click by sending an alert message. Even if a person accidentally clicks on a malicious link, McAfee Scam Protection proactively blocks the site from loading.

“AI has changed the game for cybercriminals. Gone are the days of obvious typos, poor graphics, or other telltale signs in phishing emails or scam texts. Today, cybercriminals are using artificial intelligence to dramatically improve the accuracy, sophistication, and speed of an attack, making it harder than ever to tell real from fake. It’s why we all need the most advanced, innovative AI working in our favor, to proactively protect us, in real-time, before we even know we’ve been targeted,” said Greg Johnson, McAfee Chief Executive Officer.

“McAfee Scam Protection combines advanced AI with the very best in human threat intelligence to spot and block fake emails, texts, and social media links proactively, so you can go about your day worry-free. Our new scam protection technology is revolutionary, and we are excited to equip families and individuals with the most advanced AI technology that helps keep online scams and cyber threats at bay, so people can live their lives online with confidence,” said Johnson.

Important Details for McAfee Scam Protection^TM:

• Proactive and automatic protection: Get the notification about a scam text before you even open the message. Once you grant permission to scan the URLs in your texts, McAfee Scam Protection takes charge and will let you know which texts aren’t safe and shouldn’t be opened.
• Patented and powerful AI: McAfee’s AI runs in real-time and is constantly analyzing and processing millions of malicious links from around the world to provide better detection. This means McAfee Scam Protection can protect you from advanced threats including new zero-day threats that haven’t been seen before. McAfee’s AI continually gets smarter to stay ahead of cybercriminals to protect you even better.
• Simple and easy to use: once you’re set up, McAfee Scam Protection goes to work immediately. No copying or pasting or checking whether a text or email is a scam. We do the work for you and the feature will alert you if it detects a dangerous link and blocks risky sites in real time if you accidentally click.
• Free to try; free for existing customers: For new customers, McAfee Scam Protection is available as part of a free seven-day trial of McAfee Mobile Security. After the trial period, McAfee Mobile Security is $2.99 a month or $29.99 annually for a one-year subscription. Most McAfee customers now have McAfee Scam Protection available as part of existing plans; simply update the McAfee Security app with no need to purchase separately or download a separate app. Some exclusions apply⁶.

McAfee Scam Protection’s AI technology detects and protects against dangerous links, works across Android, iOS, Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Firefox. Text alert functionality is currently only available for all Android users with enhancements coming to iOS in October. Today, customers across any platform can benefit from McAfee’s risky link identification which blocks a dangerous link should you accidentally click on it, whether that’s through text messages, social media, or your browser.

About McAfee

McAfee Corp. is a global leader in online protection for consumers. Focused on protecting people, not just devices, McAfee’s consumer solutions adapt to users’ needs in an always online world, empowering them to live securely through integrated, intuitive solutions that protect their families, communities, and businesses with the right security at the right moment. For more information, please visit https://www.mcafee.com

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¹https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/tech/lina-khan-ai-warning/index.html
²https://aag-it.com/the-latest-phishing-statistics/
³https://aag-it.com/the-latest-phishing-statistics/
⁴https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/06/iykyk-top-text-scams-2022
⁵ Survey was conducted by market research agency MSI Research September 2023.

⁶ McAfee Scam Protection available on select McAfee+, Total Protection, LiveSafe, and Mobile plans

Contacts

amy_bunn@mcafee.com

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