{"id":225749,"date":"2026-01-27T05:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=225749"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:01:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:01:27","slug":"state-of-the-scamiverse-2026-ai-deepfake-scams-research-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mcafee-news\/state-of-the-scamiverse-2026-ai-deepfake-scams-research-data\/","title":{"rendered":"McAfee Report: In the AI Slop Era, Americans Spend Weeks Each Year Questioning What\u2019s Real"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merriam-Webster\u2019s word of 2025 was \u201cslop.\u201d<\/em> Specifically, AI slop.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Low-effort, AI-generated content now fills social feeds, inboxes, and message threads. Much of it is harmless. Some of it is entertaining. But its growing presence is changing what people expect to see online.<\/p>\n

McAfee\u2019s 2026 State of the Scamiverse report<\/strong><\/a> shows that scammers are increasingly using the same AI tools and techniques to make fraud feel familiar and convincing. Phishing sites look more legitimate. Messages sound more natural. Conversations unfold in ways that feel routine instead of suspicious.<\/p>\n

According to McAfee’s consumer survey, Americans now spend an average of 114 hours a year trying to determine whether the messages they receive are real or scams. <\/strong>That’s\u00a0nearly three full workweeks<\/strong> lost not to fraud itself, but to hesitation and doubt.<\/p>\n

As AI-generated content becomes more common, the traditional signals people relied on to spot scams, such as strange links and awkward grammar, are fading. That shift does not mean everything online is dangerous. It means it takes more effort to tell what is real from what is malicious.<\/p>\n

The result is growing uncertainty. And a rising cost in time, attention, and confidence.<\/p>\n

The average American receives 14 scam messages a day<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Scams\u00a0are no longer occasional interruptions. They are a constant background noise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the report,\u00a0<\/span>Americans receive an average of 14\u00a0scam\u00a0messages per day<\/span><\/b>\u00a0across text, email, and social media.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of these messages do not look\u00a0suspicious at first glance. They resemble routine interactions people are conditioned to respond to.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n