- New tool comes at a time when 35% of Brits have fallen victim to a text message scam in the last year, 32% to an email scam and 24% to a deepfake video scam
- As part of McAfee’s Keep it Real campaign, Maggie, a 17-year-old from Jersey, shares her story after falling for a scam trying to buy tickets to the Oasis tour
LONDON, UK – May 14, 2025 – Today, McAfee is taking a major step forward in the fight against scams by introducing McAfee’s Scam Detector, a powerful new feature that automatically identifies scams across text, email and video. Available now in all core McAfee plans at no extra cost, it arrives at a critical moment as over a third of Brits have fallen for a text message scam in the last year, 32% to an email scam, and 24% to a deepfake video scam. To meet this growing threat, McAfee is protecting customers with advanced, in-plan, AI-powered scam detection – and driving education and awareness through its Keep it Real campaign. Working with actor Chris Carmack and supported by FightCybercrime.org, McAfee is elevating scam survivor voices to help end scam stigma and keep others safe.
“At McAfee, we believe everyone should be able to live their lives online with confidence,” said Craig Boundy, CEO of online protection company 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. By including text, email and video scam detection within all core McAfee plans, we’re helping to democratise scam protection and empowering people to take control over their digital lives.”
As cybercriminals harness AI to craft convincing, personalised and targeted scams at scale, it’s harder than ever to tell what’s real or fake. From deepfake investment videos to bogus delivery emails and fake messages promising tickets to a sell-out concert, Brits face an average of 10 scams each day, according to McAfee’s research. Falling for just one can cost victims an average of £936.
Smart protection made simple
As scams become more advanced, McAfee is evolving to meet the threat with Scam Detector – proactive protection that’s simple, powerful and built for the way people connect today. Between February and March 2025 alone, McAfee Labs saw scam texts nearly quadruple, with almost half of texts containing URLs using hidden links to disguise malicious intent. Scam Detector uses advanced AI to spot and stop scams across text, email and video before they can do harm, delivering real-time protection when and where it matters most. 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.
- 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
Designed with a mobile-first approach, McAfee’s Scam Detector meets people where scams happen most. With texts opened in just 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for email , speed is essential. On Android, SMS messages are auto-scanned, with alerts before opening, and on iPhone, suspicious messages are filtered or manually scanned via a quick check function.
Scam Detector also protects email, flagging scams in Gmail, Microsoft and Yahoo, while explaining why messages were flagged to help users build their scam-spotting skills. For deepfake detection, McAfee identifies AI-manipulated videos on YouTube, TikTok and other platforms, all processed on-device to protect the person’s privacy. In February 2025, McAfee Labs saw 59% of deepfake detections come from YouTube, more than all other domains combined. March showed similar trends, reinforcing YouTube’s role as a primary source of deepfake content and the growing need for tools that help people tell what’s real and what’s not.
Keep it Real: Turning stories into strength, and losses into lessons
While the financial damage of scams makes headlines, the emotional fallout is rarely highlighted. McAfee’s Keep it Real initiative is built to drive awareness, education, and empathy around scams. It combines thought-provoking ads with Scam Stories, a movement inviting survivors to share their experiences online, on social, or with McAfee directly. Amplifying real voices reduces stigma, raises awareness of McAfee’s Scam Detector, and helps people recognise red flags to stay safer online.
As part of Scam Stories, McAfee is helping scam survivors share their stories and, in working with companies like ticket marketplace Vivid Seats, is helping to give back and deliver meaningful experiences to scam survivors. In every Scam Story, McAfee’s Scam Detector would have flagged the scam before it caused harm.
Maggie, a 17-year-old Brit, lost money trying to buy concert tickets
Maggie was trying to pull off the ultimate surprise – a pair of Oasis tickets for her dad, who’s been a fan for as long as she can remember. She came across a TikTok video that seemed legitimate: a girl promoting tickets her “cousin” was selling for the Manchester show. The account had tens of thousands of likes and the videos seemed casual and real.
She messaged the seller’s Instagram, where she was told the tickets were available and to send a bank transfer. Wanting to be cautious, Maggie offered to pay for just one ticket first. That payment bounced back – likely because the account had already been flagged. But instead of walking away, the seller gave her a different account. Maggie paid £125.
Then came the follow-up: the seller claimed she could only send the tickets in sets of two or more, and asked for the second payment. Hoping it was still real, Maggie sent another £125.
But the excuses kept coming. The seller blamed “technical issues” with Ticketmaster. Promised the tickets were coming. Delayed again. Then Maggie’s friend messaged the seller – pretending to be a new buyer – and was told there were still four tickets available. That’s when Maggie knew for sure that she’d been scammed. The experience shook her confidence and made her realise how sophisticated these scams have become. She wants others to pay attention to the small red flags – inconsistent messages, fake screenshots and pressure to act quickly – and to never send money without verifying who you’re talking to.
“Scams steal more than money – they shake your confidence. That’s why we’re pairing powerful AI scam detection with real-world education through our Keep it Real campaign,” Boundy said. “This call to action empowers people to spot scams, share their stories and stay safer – and end the silence scammers count on.”
To learn more, submit your own scam story, or get protected today, visit https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/scam-stories. To learn more about McAfee’s Scam Detector and how to protect yourself, visit https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/scam-detector. Together, we can outsmart scammers and create a safer, more informed, empowered world.
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/.
1 https://info.joinsubtext.com/blog/sms-vs-email-marketing-which-is-more-effective
