Three-quarters of scam victims report serious emotional consequences, and nearly half struggle with mental health effects like anxiety, depression and lost trust
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 10, 2025 -- Malwarebytes, a global leader in real-time cyber protection, released new research that reveals that in 2025, mobile scams are no longer the exception; they are the rule. In "Tap, Swipe, Scam: How everyday mobile habits carry real risk", 1,300 mobile users across the globe detail a world where nearly half of them face mobile scams daily, emotional fallout is the new norm, and even younger generations are overwhelmed and unprotected. The findings signal a critical need for new approaches to mobile security and education, ones that address not just the technical, but also the human and emotional dimensions of cyber risk.
Explore the full report: malwarebytes.com/mobile-scams
"It's clear that mobile threats aren't just technical, they're deeply personal," said David Ruiz, Senior Privacy Advocate, Malwarebytes. "Our report reveals not only the scale of the issue, but also its psychological impact. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and cybercriminals truly adopt deepfake and AI technologies, we must go beyond raising awareness and empower users with the right tools and knowledge. No one should accept scams as the cost of digital life. There is no shame, we want people to feel confident spotting, stopping and reporting scams, no matter how intimate."
Key Findings
- Mobile threats at every turn: Nearly half of users (44%) encounter mobile scams daily, with exposure highest in the US (51%) and UK (49%), and notably lower in DACH (38%). Yet the majority (66%) say it's hard to tell apart a scam from the real thing. Only 15% of people strongly agree they could detect a scam.
- The impact is real: Over half of victims suffer financial loss or fraud (52%), and more than a quarter (27%) lose access to critical digital assets like accounts, devices or irreplaceable files. Yet one in four users say they've stopped caring—accepting scams as an inevitable cost of being online.
- Scams are personal, prevalent and impacting younger generations: 36% of users have fallen victim to a mobile scam, and three in four have encountered social engineering attempts like phishing and impersonation scams. Gen Z is hit hardest; 58% have encountered, and 28% have fallen victim to extortion scams, including deepfakes and sextortion—far higher than Gen X (35% encountered, 15% fell victim) and Boomers (23% encountered, 7% fell victim).
- AI Risks: AI tools are now accessible to everyone, including cyber criminals, making scams harder to spot than ever before. Two-thirds of people are worried about the future of AI and how realistic scams are going to become.
- Emotional fallout is widespread: 75% of victims report serious emotional consequences, and 46% struggle with mental health effects like anxiety, depression and lost trust.
- Scams go widely unreported: The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that consumers lost $16.6 billion to cybercrime in 2024 with cyber-enabled fraud responsible for almost 83% of all losses reported. Yet only 17% of victims report scams to authorities, and the number is even lower for younger generations (14%).
Scam Guard: An AI-powered digital safety companion to thwart scams
In light of the scale and impact of modern scams, Malwarebytes recently launched Scam Guard, a new tool that provides real-time feedback on scams, threats and malware alongside digital safety recommendations. Embedded within the Malwarebytes Mobile Security app, the feature aims to remove the stigma of shame around scams by helping educate and guide users before it's too late. Users simply tap to submit suspicious content via a chat interface within the mobile app. To learn more about Scam Guard and other great features, download the mobile app today.
About the Survey
"Tap, Swipe, Scam: How everyday mobile habits carry real risk" is based on a March 2025 survey prepared by an independent research consultant and distributed via Forsta among n=1,300 survey respondents ages 18 and older in the United States, UK, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The sample was equally split for gender with a spread of ages, geographical regions and race groups, and weighted to provide a balanced view.
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About Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a global cybersecurity leader delivering award-winning endpoint protection, privacy and threat prevention solutions worldwide. Built on decades of experience as the last resort to find and eradicate the latest malware, Malwarebytes is now trusted by millions of individuals and organizations to stop threats at each stage of the attack lifecycle, secure digital identities and safeguard data and privacy. A world class team of threat researchers and proprietary AI-powered engines provide unmatched threat intelligence to detect and prevent known and unknown threats. The company is headquartered in California with offices in Europe and Asia. For more information and career opportunities, visit https://www.malwarebytes.com.
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