You’re probably all too familiar with the terms “possible spam” or “suspicious activity detected” or even spam in Gmail that reads, “This message may be malicious.” That’s because we can all fall victim to phishing, fraud and other online scams all the time. According to a new report from the National Consumers League, phishing and spoofing scams have increased by more than 85%, and the average financial loss caused by such scams has more than doubled, from $1,000 to $2,060.
Generative AI has been part of a growing number of attacks, which are often frequent and sophisticated. The US Federal Trade Commission has reported that Americans will lose more than $12 billion to consumer fraud attacks and scams by 2024, a 25% year-over-year increase. These losses are expected to increase as scams become more convincing, powered by AI tools that allow fraudsters to mix voices, create deepfakes, localize messages and personalize the language used in scam emails, texts and social media posts.
“Given widespread evidence that fraudsters are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to create better platforms, the increase in phishing complaints is particularly concerning,” said John Breyault, NCL’s Vice President of Public Policy, Communications and Fraud, in a statement.
Notably, 48% of the 1,376 complaints analyzed by the NCL report involved online fraud attempts, marking a distinct shift away from phone fraud as the primary method used by attackers.
Young people are at risk
There is a widespread perception that young people (Millennials and Gen Z) are less likely to be affected by web-based, AI-powered scams because of their digital literacy. While it is true that the elderly, aged 56 and over, account for more than a third (37.94%) of complaints, young adults are also being targeted at increasing rates.
NCL found that millennials accounted for 39.8% of fraud complaints, while complaints from adults aged 26 to 35 increased by 68.1% year over year.
How to protect yourself online in 2026
While web and AI-based fraud efforts are growing and becoming more sophisticated, there are ways to protect yourself online. NCL says to be wary of anything that seems too good to be true, and suggests familiarizing yourself with popular scams, such as fake check scams, bogus prize and sweepstakes scams, Internet marketing scams and investment scams.
The Consumer Federation of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting American consumers, also recommends staying alert and questioning unexpected phone calls, texts or emails, as well as any messages that feel urgent or threatening. For example, watch out for messages that include language like “take action now” or “your account will be locked.”
CFA also encourages you to independently verify communications or individuals by researching phone numbers, names, websites and targeted businesses rather than relying on caller ID, links or contact information.
If you suspect you have been the victim of a scam attempt, report it to the authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission website.
