Faced with the increase in online scams and the arrival of Artificial Intelligence in the tactics of scammers, Bitdefender introduces Scamio, a free chatbot using AI to detect fraud. Capable of analyzing emails, SMS, and more, Scamio is accessible without downloading, aiming to effectively protect against scams.
The rise of online scams represents a real scourge in our digital society, with significant financial and emotional consequences for victims. In 2023, consumers reported losses exceeding $10 billion due to fraud, marking a 14% increase from the previous year. Among the different types of scams, identity theft scams were the costliest, with reported losses of nearly $2.7 billion.
And for those who think that it is mainly older people who are being scammed: a study by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) showed in 2023 that it is young adults (20-29 years old) who have been more frequently victims of scams. these frauds. So everyone should be careful and learn how to protect themselves against these modern-day hackers.
Strategies and precautions for browsing safely on the Internet
And to protect yourself against online scams, it’s crucial to understand the most common methods scammers use. Phishing, for example, involves impersonating legitimate entities to steal personal and banking information. Scammers often send emails or text messages appearing to come from reputable organizations, with links to fake websites to collect your data.
Email and SMS scams also exploit fake security alerts or too-good-to-be-true offers to lure their victims. These messages are designed to create a sense of urgency, prompting recipients to act quickly without verification.
Additionally, fraudulent sites and fake online businesses pose a significant threat. Fraudsters create websites that appear legitimate to sell non-existent or counterfeit products. Consumers are attracted by attractive offers, but the ordered products are never delivered.
Payment methods favored by scammers include bank transfers and cryptocurrencies. These payment methods are often irreversible and anonymous, making it difficult to recover lost funds. It is therefore essential to exercise increased vigilance when using these payment methods, always verifying the authenticity of sites and offers before proceeding with a transaction. Advice that is sometimes easier said than done for many.
Bitdefender Scamio: your free shield against online scams
With this in mind, Bitdefender recently launched a brand new free tool: Bitdefender Scamio, an innovative online scam detection service, powered by artificial intelligence.
Bitdefender Scamio presents itself as a free chatbot, designed to help users verify the authenticity of seemingly legitimate messages and offers, whether received by email, in-app links, SMS or via messaging applications. This service leverages Bitdefender’s advanced threat prevention and detection technologies, providing reliable insight into potential fraud attempts by analyzing emails, text messages, images, individual links and even QR codes.
Using Bitdefender Scamio is simple and intuitive. The tool is available on any device or operating system via a web browser or Facebook Messenger, after a quick setup of the Bitdefender account. Scamio incorporates advanced natural language processing to accurately understand and interpret user conversations, including the linguistic nuances and subtleties often used in scams. No download or prior access to any Bitdefender product is necessary to use Scamio.
Bitdefender describes the rapid adoption of AI by cybercriminals as a true game changer, making online scams, once easy to identify, difficult to detect with the naked eye. Scamio aims to rebalance the playing field by providing a reliable probability of malicious activity based on message content and context. It’s like having a personal assistant that you can always count on to help protect your digital life.
This article is a sponsored post brought to you by Bitdefender.