Think You're Safe? AI Phishing Attacks Are Only $5 and Harder to Spot Than Ever

While there are some AI tools restricted for use which can put you in jail for five years, there's no punishment for hackers who use advanced AI tools for phishing attacks. McAfee conducted research which found that the cost of advanced and sophisticated email attacks is shockingly low, starting at just $5. A security expert shared his experience of almost becoming a victim of an AI-powered phishing attack and said it was one of the most sophisticated attacks he has ever seen. The attackers attacked his Gmail account but he was lucky enough to stop it before it could do more damage.

AI-driven phishing attacks are almost impossible to detect, even for experts, and the consequences of these attacks can make a lot of information of victims compromised. These attacks are very affordable for hackers to carry out and not expensive at all.


Beyond AI-driven phishing, scams continue to evolve with alarming sophistication. The most reported scams include fake shipping notifications (36%), tricking users into clicking malicious links under the guise of delivery issues. Account verification scams (29%) threaten to suspend accounts unless sensitive details are provided, while special offers or deals (24%) lure victims with promises of freebies or massive discounts, only to harvest personal data. Other prevalent scams involve subscription renewals (22%), fake invoices (21%), and fabricated news videos (21%) designed to manipulate emotions and extract information.

McAfee’s State of Scamiverse report also found that a convincing deep fake can easily be created in less than 10 minutes for just $5. On average, 2.6 deep fake videos are being encountered by Americans daily, while the younger audience (18-24) more frequently, around 3.5 times daily. Victims of AI phishing scams lose between $500 to $5000. In 64% of the cases, hackers successfully get money from victims in under an hour. To spot a deep-fake, look for signs like unnatural blinking, strange backgrounds or distorted voices in the videos. Avoid clicking links on unsolicited messages and double check shocking claims through reliable sources.

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