A new survey by online security firm McAfee has revealed that the average Indian spends nearly 102 hours a year just trying to figure out whether incoming messages are genuine or scam — highlighting the growing volume and sophistication of fraudulent communications in the digital age. The findings come from McAfee’s 2026 State of the Scamiverse report for India, which surveyed thousands of adults across the country about their experience with scam messages and online deception.
Scams Now Part of Daily Digital Life
According to the report, Indians receive on average 13 scam communications every day across different platforms — including SMS, WhatsApp messages, emails, phone calls and even malicious QR codes. These scams are becoming increasingly realistic and harder to spot, often resembling legitimate alerts from delivery services, banks, or regulatory bodies.
McAfee’s survey found that because of this, most people are spending a significant amount of time carefully examining every suspicious message to decide whether it’s genuine or fraudulent — which, when added up, amounts to about 102 hours annually just on scam-spotting.
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Awareness Rising, But Confidence Falls
The report reveals an interesting paradox: although Indians are more aware of scam threats than before, confidence in identifying scams has decreased. Two in five respondents said they feel less confident spotting scams now compared with a year ago, even as more users report being cautious with unknown messages.
In fact, 82 % of those surveyed said they’ve become more careful about opening messages from unverified senders — a behaviour response to increasing suspicious communication volume.
Replies to Messages Without Links Still Risky
One surprising finding is that a large number of scam messages don’t even contain links — yet recipients still respond to them. McAfee’s report showed that more than 1 in 5 people admitted they receive suspicious messages with no visible links and 66 % of these recipients reply anyway, believing the conversation might be harmless. However, replying can often trigger the scam’s next stage — such as leading to compromised accounts or fake QR code traps that redirect payments to fraudsters.
Such sophisticated scam designs — from fake motor vehicle challan notifications to delivery alerts and fake account alerts — are crafted to look routine so that even attentive users may be fooled without careful analysis.
Why Scams Are Harder to Spot
Experts and McAfee’s findings point to several factors making scam messages increasingly difficult to detect:
- AI-generated content and realistic templates make messages look more authentic than in the past.
- Scammers mimic real brands, government notices and delivery alerts so closely that even experienced users may second-guess authenticity.
- Lack of obvious red flags (such as grammatical errors or unusual URLs) means many fraudulent messages look nearly identical to legitimate ones.
A previous McAfee study also showed that many Indians receive fake messages daily, and sophisticated scam texts no longer contain obvious errors, making them harder to identify without careful scrutiny.
These trends indicate a rapid escalation in scam sophistication, especially with AI tools enabling fraudsters to personalise and craft deceptive messages that closely resemble trusted communications.
Impact on Trust and Digital Behaviour
Because scam messages are so prevalent and convincing, McAfee’s report suggests that trust in digital communications is declining. Many users express increased caution before clicking links or providing any personal or financial information — a necessary mindset, but also one that reflects how much digital conversations are now scrutinised and doubted.
This loss of trust can affect how people interact with everyday messages — from delivery updates to bank alerts — potentially slowing down legitimate communication even if it originates from real services.
Keep These Safety Tips in Mind
To protect yourself against scam messages, cybersecurity experts recommend the following precautions:
- Pause before clicking any link — even if it looks official. Real organisations rarely ask for personal information through unsolicited texts.
- Verify suspicious messages by contacting the company or service directly using information from official websites rather than the message itself.
- Never reply to unknown senders — responses can activate the next stage of scam activity or confirm to fraudsters that your number is active.
- Report scam messages to your mobile carrier, messaging platform, or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to help authorities track scam campaigns.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
