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in Scam Awareness
commbank.com.au
· 2026-08-24
CommBank research found that 72% of employees who fell victim to scams never discussed the situation with a colleague beforehand, and most Australians attempt to handle suspected scams independently rather than seeking advice from trusted contacts. The bank's campaign, featuring actor Jimmy Rees who nearly lost money in a car sale scam until talking to his father, emphasizes that pausing to verify suspicious situations with someone else is an underutilized defense against fraud tactics like urgency and pressure. CommBank recommends making it routine to ask trusted family members or colleagues "Does this look right to you?" when something feels off, as this simple conversation can help stop scammers and protect others from similar tactics.
consumer.ftc.gov
· 2026-08-24
Scammers are sending postcards to veterans falsely claiming they qualify for extra monthly benefits through a non-existent "Veterans Savings Program" and impersonating the VA to trick recipients into calling and revealing personal or financial information. The postcards create urgency by threatening loss of benefits and may reference real VA programs like CHAMPVA or TRICARE to appear legitimate. Veterans who receive these postcards should report them to the FTC and VA rather than responding to the scam.
aol.com
· 2026-08-24
Scammers using artificial intelligence are mining obituaries to identify and target recently widowed elderly people, with one documented case involving fraudsters who claimed a widow's late husband owed taxes and demanded $7,000 to "preserve her inheritance." According to the FBI, Americans aged 60-plus reported $7.7 billion in cyber crime losses in 2025 (up 59% from 2024), with an average loss of $38,500 per elderly scam case, and recently widowed seniors are particularly vulnerable because they are grieving while managing complex financial and administrative tasks. Fraudsters extract personal information from publicly available obituaries—including names, relatives, employers, and hometowns—
candgnews.com
· 2026-08-24
Shelby Township police are reporting a significant uptick in scams targeting seniors, with individual losses ranging from hundreds to $30,000-$80,000, where victims are draining life savings and retirement accounts. Common scams involve criminals impersonating government agencies, family members, or utility companies and creating urgency through claims of arrests, medical emergencies, or service disconnections to pressure victims into sending money via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Police urge seniors to verify information independently, never send money to unknown callers, and contact local authorities to confirm the legitimacy of suspicious calls.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2026-08-24
Fraudsters are using artificial intelligence to scan obituaries and target grieving widows with elaborate scams, including one case where a widow was told she owed $7,000 to cover her late husband's supposed tax evasion scheme. AI enables scammers to quickly extract personal information from public obituaries and generate convincing deepfake communications to create phishing campaigns at scale. Elderly Americans aged 60-plus reported $7.7 billion in cyber fraud losses in 2025, with recently widowed individuals particularly vulnerable due to grief and the financial chaos of settling estates.
mpamag.com
· 2026-08-24
Phishing scams accounted for 52% of Bankwest's cases in financial year 2026, representing the only scam category to increase in volume year-over-year, while overall customer losses declined 43%. Australians aged 65 and over were disproportionately affected, accounting for 51% of scam exposure value at Bankwest, up from 45% the previous year, with the elderly representing 71% of losses across the 55+ age group. The data was released during Scams Awareness Week 2026, as Australians reported over $2.18 billion in total scam losses in 2025.
macaupostdaily.com
· 2026-08-24
A local woman lost approximately 1.9 million patacas in a "fake police" scam in which a caller impersonating a mainland immigration officer claimed she was under investigation for sending fraudulent messages and demanded a deposit for bail. A separate incident involved a young local man who was targeted in a pornographic blackmail scam after clicking a malicious link on social media; the scammer demanded 8,000 yuan but the victim refused and reported the case to police.
startsat60.com
· 2026-08-24
Approximately 4.9 million Australians (23% of those surveyed) reported losing money to scams, with online shopping fraud being the most common type affecting an estimated 2.1 million people through fake retailers and fraudulent websites. Other prevalent scams include cryptocurrency fraud (5%), investment/property scams (4%), and romance, impersonation, and insurance scams (3% each), with Australians reporting over $2.18 billion in combined losses across 481,000 scam reports in 2025. Even financial experts are vulnerable to these increasingly sophisticated scams that exploit trust, emotion, and artificial urgency to manipulate victims into acting without proper verification.
sarawaktribune.com
· 2026-08-24
Sarawak has experienced a surge in sophisticated financial scams powered by artificial intelligence and social engineering, with commercial crime cases rising 41.79% to 2,134 cases in the first five months of 2024, resulting in losses exceeding RM71 million. Recent victims include a Kuching woman who lost RM145,247 to a fake job offer, a Miri man who lost RM367,300 to a fraudulent investment scheme, and another individual who lost RM287,000 to a fake stock investment scam. Nationally, Malaysians lost RM2.8 billion to financial scams in 2024, with experts warning that AI-enabled
blog.knowbe4.com
· 2026-08-24
A research study found that AI chatbots are more effective than human scammers at building trust during the initial stages of "pig butchering" romance scams, where victims are manipulated into fake investment schemes over weeks or months. Scammers can use AI to automate the relationship-building phase at scale, then transition to human operators to request money, effectively bypassing security safeguards. Study participants could identify the AI conversations only after being told they had interacted with one, highlighting how difficult it is to detect such deception while being targeted.
thesenior.com.au
· 2026-08-24
Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI to conduct convincing superannuation scams in Australia, with Australians losing $22 million to superannuation-related scams in 2025 at an average loss of $88,736 per victim. AI enables scammers to create sophisticated fake websites, messages, and endorsements that appear legitimate, while using personalized panic-inducing messages to pressure targets into quick decisions. Experts recommend pausing before acting on financial requests, verifying through official channels, using strong passwords with multi-factor authentication, and protecting primary email and phone accounts that serve as gateways to financial accounts.
newswav.com
· 2026-08-24
Filipino authorities rescued 24 nationals from human trafficking operations in Cambodia after they were lured with false promises of customer service jobs but forced into "catphishing" scams targeting Europeans online. The victims, mostly young professionals, endured physical abuse, verbal assault, and exploitation while working toward recruitment quotas, with some being "sold" between syndicates across Southeast Asia. At least 125 trafficking cases connected to online scam hubs were intercepted in 2024, with traffickers specifically targeting educated, mobile Filipinos with strong communication skills to conduct romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and digital extortion operations earning millions.
theguardian.com
· 2026-08-23
Criminals are targeting UK homebuyers through "Friday afternoon fraud," a scam where fake emails impersonating solicitors or estate agents trick victims into transferring property deposits to fraudulent bank accounts, with losses ranging from thousands to £300,000 per victim. Between April 2024 and March 2025, 140 conveyancing fraud cases were recorded with an average loss of £78,393, typically occurring at the end of property sales before weekends. The fraud exploits phishing attacks or hacked email accounts to intercept payment instructions during the conveyancing process when homebuyers expect to transfer significant sums.
bbc.com
· 2026-08-23
A 61-year-old man in Wales fell victim to a QR code parking scam after downloading a fraudulent parking app, which led to unauthorized charges of £1 initially and then a £60 monthly subscription to his bank account. QR code-related scams, known as "quishing," have increased by 700% over four years, with Report Fraud receiving 2,743 reports in the past 12 months compared to just 341 two years prior. Criminals are exploiting the growing use of QR codes in everyday situations like parking meters and advertisements to trick victims into downloading malicious apps or revealing banking details.
wsmv.com
· 2026-08-23
A 90-year-old North Carolina woman nearly lost $10,000 to a cryptocurrency scam that began with a fake Geek Squad text message claiming unauthorized charges to her account. Wilmington Police Officer Nicholas Morrison spotted her holding nearly $10,000 in cash at a bitcoin kiosk and recognized the warning signs of a scam, convincing her to stop the transaction and helping her redeposit her money safely.
pasadenanow.com
· 2026-08-23
The Los Angeles County Superior Court warned residents about a jury duty scam where callers falsely claim victims missed jury service and face arrest warrants to pressure them into providing personal or financial information. The scam involves threatening calls, texts, or emails demanding immediate action or payment, but legitimate court communications never threaten arrest, demand immediate courthouse reporting, or request sensitive information like Social Security numbers or bank details. Residents are advised to verify jury service status through the court's official website and report suspicious communications to local law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.
ukicc.info
· 2026-08-23
Fraud and scams involve criminals deceiving people to steal money or personal information, with scams being the specific tricks used to carry out fraudulent crimes. These schemes affect millions of people annually and take many different forms. The article provides guidance on how scammers operate, warning signs to recognize, and where to report incidents and financial losses.
wornandwound.com
· 2026-08-23
Multiple celebrity figures have fallen victim to podcast and social media impersonation scams in which fraudsters posed as industry insiders or celebrities themselves to solicit money from victims. The scams exploited victims' desires for attention and ego-stroking by promising opportunities like podcast appearances or endorsements. The article references reporting by Seth Abramovitch detailing these schemes targeting Hollywood personalities, though specific dollar amounts and victim names are not provided in this excerpt.
hoodline.com
· 2026-08-23
A 21-year-old Indian national from Jersey City was arrested at Toronto Pearson Airport after fleeing the U.S. while facing federal charges for his role as a courier in a $7.5 million elder fraud scheme targeting nine victims aged 59-87. Goswami allegedly collected cash and gold from victims who were deceived by scammers posing as government officials claiming their bank accounts or personal information had been compromised. He was released on pretrial conditions on August 17 but crossed into Canada the next day and attempted to board a flight to Qatar before Canadian authorities detained him on immigration grounds.
hoodline.com
· 2026-08-23
A 75-year-old woman recovering from surgery at a San Antonio hospital was allegedly robbed by someone impersonating a credit union employee, with police seeking the public's help to identify the suspect through Crime Stoppers. This incident is part of a larger pattern of elder fraud in San Antonio, where the police department recorded over 330 financial crimes against seniors in 2025, with imposter scams being among the most common tactics. Texas residents over 60 lost $679 million to financial fraud in 2025 across more than 14,400 cases, prompting enhanced legal penalties under state law for crimes targeting elderly victims.
anz.com.au
· 2026-08-23
Between October 2025 and June 2026, ANZ customer scam losses decreased by 24% compared to the previous year, while the bank prevented and recovered over $100 million in scam and fraud-related funds. Despite the reduction, scammers continue to evolve their tactics, with Goods and Services scams, Impersonation, Investment, Romance and Friendship, and Bank Impersonation scams remaining the most common types targeting ANZ customers. ANZ's First Responders team resolved 94% of scam-related calls at first contact and handled nearly 170,000 calls during the period, while over 476,000 payments were abandoned after Confirmation of
taipeitimes.com
· 2026-08-23
Over 350 students fell victim to sex-service scams during summer vacation, with losses ranging from NT$2,000 to NT$300,000, according to Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau. The scams typically involve fraudsters posing as escort service providers on social media platforms who trick victims into purchasing game credits using false pretenses, then demand additional payments while threatening victims with extortion. Once scammers obtain game card numbers, passwords, and personal information like ID photos, they drain the credits and make funds difficult to trace.
nst.com.my
· 2026-08-23
Over the past four years through June, 462 Malaysians aged primarily 21-40 lost RM32.7 million (approximately RM20,000 daily) to romance scams originating from dating platforms, where scammers build trust before directing victims to fake investment schemes, bogus trading platforms, and cryptocurrency scams. Malaysia's Deputy Communications Minister announced the government will not mandate dating app identity verification, instead focusing on stronger platform safeguards, improved scam detection, and public awareness to combat these cross-platform crimes. The government is adopting a layered approach involving telecommunications providers, financial institutions, and online platforms to disrupt the scam ecosystem and support investigations.
nationaltribune.com.au
· 2026-08-23
Between October 2025 and June 2026, ANZ customer scam losses fell by 24 percent while the bank prevented and recovered over $100 million in scam-related funds, demonstrating the effectiveness of their prevention and detection investments. The most common scams affecting ANZ customers were goods and services scams, followed by impersonation, investment, romance, and bank impersonation schemes. ANZ's First Responders team resolved 94 percent of scam-related calls at first contact and processed nearly 170,000 calls during the period.
independent.co.uk
· 2026-08-23
Impersonation scam victims lost an average of £3,516 in the past year, a 10% increase from £3,200 the previous year, according to Lloyds Banking Group data. While overall impersonation scam reports fell 3%, specific types increased, including police impersonation scams where victims were tricked into purchasing gold, with one 85-year-old woman losing £188,000 across eight transactions. Common impersonation scams involve fraudsters posing as banks, police, HMRC, or broadband providers, typically initiating contact via phone, text, email, or social media to pressure victims into transferring money or revealing personal details.
aetv.com
· 2026-08-22
Kevin Gavin, a 71-year-old Brooklyn handyman, murdered three elderly women (ages 78-83) between 2015 and 2021 in their apartments at a senior housing complex where he also lived, gaining their trust by performing handyman tasks before robbing and killing them. He was arrested in 2021 after being caught using one victim's stolen credit card and pleaded guilty in April 2026 to first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, receiving a 30-year prison sentence. The case highlights the broader problem of elder exploitation, with scammers stealing approximately $3.4 billion annually from older Americans, often going unreported due to victims
cyberguy.com
· 2026-08-22
Scammers build target lists of older Americans during August and September—months before Medicare Open Enrollment begins in October—by purchasing consumer data from marketing companies that sell detailed demographic information filtered by age, income, and homeownership. A case involving Epsilon Data Management illustrated how this targeting works: two employees sold lists to fraudsters who defrauded over 218,000 victims of $23.7 million, leading to a $150 million settlement. Experts warn that by the time scam calls arrive in fall, criminals have already identified and researched their targets, making it crucial for seniors to protect their personal data during the summer months.
krgv.com
· 2026-08-22
A McAllen woman's elderly mother was targeted by a scammer posing as a Medicare representative who called her home and then showed up in person to photograph her Medicare card and obtain signatures on unknown documents. Elder fraud losses have doubled from 2024 to 2025, with Americans 60 and older reporting over 200,000 complaints totaling nearly $7.8 billion in losses, averaging $38,500 per person. The FBI warns that these sophisticated scams often use impersonation and AI technology, and advises the public to verify callers' identities and never provide personal information or move money based on unsolicited contact.
nbcsandiego.com
· 2026-08-22
Two Del Norte High School brothers founded StayCyberSafe, a workshop program that has expanded to approximately 20 chapters worldwide to educate senior citizens about recognizing and protecting themselves from scams. Seniors over age 50 lost $4.8 billion to cybercrime in 2024, highlighting the financial severity of the issue that the workshops address through teaching about social engineering tactics and other scam techniques. The initiative demonstrates the need for community-based fraud prevention efforts, as law enforcement alone cannot manage the thousands of daily scams targeting vulnerable populations.
ncoa.org
· 2026-08-22
A Washington man received a 30-month federal prison sentence for stealing a Vietnam veteran's identity to fraudulently obtain VA benefits over decades, while a New Hampshire man was indicted for defrauding an older veteran of $225,000 through bank and mail fraud. According to the FTC, fraud reports from servicemembers, veterans, and their families totaled approximately $584 million in 2024, with scammers exploiting veterans' trust in VA institutions and their predictable benefit payments through schemes including disability benefit fraud, VA home loan scams, and job scams.
thestar.com.my
· 2026-08-22
A Malaysian immigration operation arrested 21 people involved in a syndicate that smuggled blacklisted Chinese nationals into the country and operated online love scams and counterfeit goods fraud schemes from luxury homes. The syndicate used fake passports, social media platforms, and targeted overseas victims with prepared scripts, generating approximately US$50,000 (RM202,275) since early 2024. Authorities seized 28 Chinese passports, 40 mobile phones, 11 computers, and RM4,800 in cash during raids at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and a residential property in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.
wesh.com
· 2026-08-22
A 74-year-old Volusia County woman lost $8,000 in a social engineering scam where criminals impersonating Wells Fargo bank employees convinced her to withdraw cash and hand it to an Uber courier. The victim's quick thinking in obtaining the driver's tag number led deputies to arrest 25-year-old Amoye Jameison, who admitted to participating in approximately ten similar frauds and keeping a portion of stolen funds. Jameison faces charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, and the victim is expected to recover her money.
dallasexpress.com
· 2026-08-22
Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, a 21-year-old Indian national, was detained at Toronto Pearson International Airport while attempting to flee to Qatar after being released on pretrial conditions, following his arrest for serving as a courier in an elder fraud scheme. The scheme allegedly targeted nine victims aged 59-87 through fraudulent phone and internet calls impersonating law enforcement, pressuring them to convert assets to cash or gold, resulting in losses totaling approximately $7.56 million. Goswami faces charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with each charge carrying a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
b2b-cyber-security.de
· 2026-08-22
According to Interpol's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, AI now supports 55 percent of cybercrime cases across Africa, with financial losses more than doubling from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million. Criminals are using AI to automate phishing, create synthetic identities, generate deepfakes for extortion, and conduct targeted fraud campaigns including business email compromise scams and romance scams, with scam centers identified in 72 percent of surveyed African countries. The report highlights that African threat actors are increasingly targeting organizations in Europe and North America through cross-border operations, while also noting that around 600,000 digital sextortion cases were
nbclosangeles.com
· 2026-08-22
Scammers are calling Los Angeles County residents claiming they missed jury duty and have an arrest warrant, threatening legal consequences to pressure victims into providing personal and financial information. The LA County Superior Court confirmed it never calls, texts, or emails residents with arrest threats or requests for Social Security numbers, credit card details, or bank information, and advised residents to verify jury status through the court's website and report suspicious communications to local law enforcement or the FTC.
abc7.com
· 2026-08-22
Scammers in Los Angeles County are calling residents claiming they missed jury duty and face arrest warrants, threatening legal consequences to extort personal and financial information. The Los Angeles County Superior Court warned that it never initiates contact via phone, email, or text to threaten arrest or demand immediate payment, and residents should verify jury status directly through the court's website. Anyone receiving such suspicious communications should not provide personal information and should report the scam to local law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.
military.com
· 2026-08-21
According to new research, 27% of veterans have lost money to cyber scams, with military members, veterans, and their families collectively losing $684 million to fraud in 2025. Scammers typically impersonate VA officials or military organizations using high-pressure tactics and military-related language to exploit veterans' trust, with schemes including fraudulent benefit offers, fake disability payment exchanges, and fraudulent charities claiming to support service members. The VA recommends veterans verify communications through official channels and report suspected fraud through VSAFE (1-833-38V-SAFE), the FTC, or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
newrepublic.com
· 2026-08-21
A 24-year-old Nigerian "Yahoo Boy" named Chibuike scammed tens of thousands of dollars from overseas victims by impersonating American celebrities and building fake romantic relationships to extract money through digital manipulation and fake investment schemes. The article explores the real lives of Nigerian romance scammers profiled in a new book that examines how poverty, inequality, and limited economic opportunities drive young West African men into cybercrime targeting vulnerable individuals in English-speaking countries. The piece traces the historical roots of 419 scams back to colonial Nigeria, where similar schemes evolved from impersonation tactics used by officials and ordinary people to exploit victims through false authority and deception.
cryptopolitan.com
· 2026-08-21
A 32-year-old Hong Kong man, Ma Che-hou, had his 56-month prison sentence upheld for orchestrating a fraud and money laundering scheme that lured five men with promises of employment and romance, ultimately trafficking them to Myanmar where they were tortured. The case highlights how criminal syndicates use cryptocurrency and stablecoins to launder fraud proceeds, with an estimated $14-17 billion sent to fraud-related crypto wallets annually, as part of a broader global fraud economy estimated at $442 billion in 2025. Hong Kong's lack of a distinct human trafficking law forced prosecutors to treat the trafficking and forced labor as aggravating factors within fraud charges rather than as
novanews.co.za
· 2026-08-21
Port Alfred police hosted a fraud awareness campaign for over 70 senior citizens on August 19 to address a reported surge in sophisticated imposter scams targeting elderly residents' life savings. The event, conducted in collaboration with Absa bank, educated seniors on psychological tactics used by fraudsters and covered telephone scams, fraudulent messages, and online phishing. Police emphasized that criminals exploit seniors' politeness and courtesy, and stressed that legitimate banks never request PINs, passwords, or urgent fund transfers over the phone.
insidestory.org.au
· 2026-08-21
Journalist Carlos Barragan investigates Nigerian "Yahoo Boys" scammers after his own mother was defrauded by a man posing as an American soldier named Brian, who manipulated her into purchasing rings and romantic gifts. The book explores how these scammers exploit Western loneliness by creating fake identities on dating apps and social media, targeting isolated and emotionally vulnerable people seeking companionship rather than those seeking financial gain. Barragan's investigation reveals the intersection between widespread poverty in Nigeria and the emotional isolation of Western victims, portraying a morally complex landscape where desperation on both sides fuels the scam operations.
kstp.com
· 2026-08-21
Minnesotans lose approximately $1.5 billion annually to online scams, according to a Consumer Federation of America report cited at a fraud-prevention seminar hosted by eight credit unions in partnership with law enforcement. The event highlighted common scam tactics including romance scams, fake job offers, cryptocurrency pitches, and impersonation schemes that rely on urgency, fear, and trust to manipulate victims. Experts emphasized that people should not rush into decisions when contacted by suspicious offers and encouraged using the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker to research potential fraud before responding.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2026-08-21
Scammers are operating fraudulent sites like Poison Claude that offer AI tokens at 70-90% discounts by using stolen payment methods, exploiting free trials, and routing user prompts through unauthorized endpoints without proper security controls. These services have attracted hundreds of users and cost legitimate AI companies millions of dollars daily in losses, while also serving users in countries where U.S. AI models are restricted. Users accessing discounted tokens through these gray market resellers face serious legal and security risks, as the underlying transactions are illegal.
ii.co.uk
· 2026-08-21
Investment fraud losses reached £879.8 million in 2025, with over 34,000 people reporting losses averaging £25,612 per victim—a 31% increase from the previous year. Scammers use social media, WhatsApp, deepfake endorsements, and cloned websites to impersonate celebrities, financial experts, and legitimate firms, promoting fake or overpriced investments with promises of quick profits and exclusive opportunities. Victims face additional risk from recovery scams, where fraudsters target them again with offers to recover their lost money.
creators.yahoo.com
· 2026-08-21
A caller impersonating a sergeant from the Adams County Sheriff's Department attempted to defraud the author by claiming a legal matter required attention, but the scam was detected when the caller incorrectly referred to the agency as "Sheriff's Department" instead of "Sheriff's Office." The scammer, identifying himself as "Sgt. Don Davis," was part of a scheme warning potential victims of missed federal jury summons and demanding payment, though the sheriff's office confirmed no such sergeant exists and the agency does not contact people about legal proceedings in that manner.
radioiowa.com
· 2026-08-21
The Better Business Bureau warns Iowa residents who have previously fallen victim to scams to remain vigilant, as scammers often share victim lists and target the same people again with different fraud schemes. Common follow-up tactics include impersonating money recovery services, exploiting victims' shame or attempts to self-remediate. The BBB recommends reporting scams to trusted organizations like the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General's Office to create records and receive protection assistance.
washingtonstand.com
· 2026-08-21
Criminals are increasingly using AI tools to perpetrate fraud at unprecedented scale and profitability, with the FBI reporting over $893 million in AI-related fraud losses in 2025, including romance scams, business email compromise schemes, and voice-cloning extortion. Seniors aged 60 and older filed only 14% of AI-fraud complaints but suffered over a third of total losses ($352 million), making them disproportionately vulnerable to these sophisticated, personalized attacks at mass scale. Criminal networks are using AI to generate convincing profiles, synthetic content, and forged documents while automating fraud campaigns that previously required individual human attention for each victim.
cuinsight.com
· 2026-08-21
Arrowhead Credit Union hosted fraud and scam prevention education sessions at Congresswoman Linda Sánchez's 20th Annual Senior Fair in Rancho Cucamonga, reaching approximately 900 attendees with information on recognizing common scams targeting older adults. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, seniors ages 60+ reported over $7.7 billion in losses in 2025—a 37% increase from 2024, with the average loss exceeding $38,000 per victim. The presentations covered phishing tactics, impersonation scams, romance scams, and protective strategies including ID protection and digital banking safety.
talkandroid.com
· 2026-08-21
WhatsApp has launched Scam Alert, an AI-powered feature currently in beta that detects fraudulent messages from unknown contacts by analyzing message patterns locally on users' devices without sending content to external servers. The tool targets common scams including impersonation, fake job offers, investment schemes, and romance fraud, alerting only the recipient when suspicious messages are detected. The feature began rolling out in August 2026 and can be toggled off at any time, with users able to report suspected scams to WhatsApp for review if desired.
capetimes.co.za
· 2026-08-21
AI is facilitating 55% of reported cybercrimes across Africa, with cybercrime-related losses more than doubling from USD 192 million in 2024 to USD 484 million in 2025, driven primarily by AI-enabled scams, credential harvesting, and automated social engineering. According to Interpol's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report based on data from 36 African countries, online scams are the most reported cybercrime type, with 72% of surveyed countries reporting scam centers and criminals using AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic identities, and business email compromise schemes to target victims across Africa, Europe, and North America. East Africa has become