McAfee Unwraps Global Holiday Shopping Scam Study Results and Shares Tips for a Safer Online Shopping Season

     

    • 87% of Australian shoppers believe cybercriminals using AI will affect holiday scams
    • 52% of Australians think that AI will make scam emails and messages more believable than ever
    • Of the Australian consumers who have been the victim of an online scam during the holiday season, 56% lost money as a result, and 22% of victims lost more than $500

    Sydney, Australia, November 22, 2023—McAfee Corp., a global leader in online protection, today announced the findings from its Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study. The study surveyed more than 7,000 adults in seven countries to discover how scam messages and AI-driven scam sophistication are influencing holiday shopping sentiments.

    It reveals that 21% of Australian consumers anticipate increased cybercriminal activity during the holidays. Notably, 87% of Aussies believe that the use of artificial intelligence by cybercriminals will impact online scams. Moreover, 20% of Australians have fallen victim to holiday scams, with 56% reporting financial losses, including 22% losing over $500.

    Tyler McGee, Head of APAC, McAfee, states, “As Aussies get ready to holiday shop online, cybercrooks are getting ready too. In a time when 87% of Australian shoppers believe AI will affect the number of holiday shopping cyberscams, McAfee’s online protection solutions use AI to stay ahead of the ever-changing cyberscam landscape. When AI makes it easier than ever for scammers to create fake holiday-related sites, phishing emails, and scam text messages to trick people into clicking on something unsafe, McAfee’s online protection tools help to keep Australians’ data privacy and online security intact, now and into the future.”

    About The 2023 McAfee Holiday Shopping Scams Study

    McAfee’s research unwrapped three key insights about online holiday shopping scams, and sheds light on the heightened stress people face while shopping for loved ones and working to protect themselves from AI-assisted digital scammers. The survey results are detailed below.

    The 2023 McAfee Holiday Shopping Scams Study unwraps three key insights:

    Cyber Grinches at Play:

    • 66% of Aussies are planning to holiday shop online.
    • 74% of Australians believe cybercriminals are more active during the holidays.
    • 20% of Australians say they’ve fallen victim to scams, and 56% of these victims reported financial losses as a result.

    Shopping Trends:

    • 39% of Aussies say that because of inflation, they’re more likely to jump on a good deal when holiday shopping.
    • 84% of Australians plan to shop around to find the best deal before purchasing their holiday gifts.
    • 41% of Aussies make online purchases late at night, 21% have done so at work, 17% have made a purchase during dinner, and 16% have even shopped while on the toilet.

    AI's Impact:

    • 87% of Aussies think that cybercriminals’ use of AI will impact the amount and types of online scams during the holiday season. Of this number, 21% plan to shop online less as a result.
    • 52% of Australians believe AI will make scam emails more convincing.
    • 35% of Aussies anticipate difficulty distinguishing real from fake messages.

    The study concludes with tips to protect against falling for scam messages, emphasising vigilance, skepticism, and leveraging AI-driven technologies such as McAfee Scam Protection for a secure online experience:

    • Think before you click. Cybercriminals use phishing emails or fake sites to lure people into clicking links that could lead to malware. If you receive an email or text message asking you to click on a link, even if it’s a great-sounding deal or indicates it’ll provide useful information such as a parcel deliver update, it’s best to avoid interacting with the message altogether. Always go direct to the source and interact with reputable companies.
    • Remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Many scams are effective because the scammer creates a false sense of urgency or preys on a heightened emotional state. Pause before you rush to interact with any message that is threatening or urgent, especially if it is from an unknown or unlikely sender.
    • Use AI to beat AI. From blocking dangerous links that appear on text messages, social media, or web browsers, customers across all platforms can take advantage of the AI-driven technology behind McAfee Scam Protection to engage with text messages, read emails, and browse the web peacefully and securely.

    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