Mobile Scams Surge: Nearly Half of Users Face Daily Threats, Report Finds
A new report from Malwarebytes reveals that 44% of mobile users encounter scams or threats daily, with 66% struggling to distinguish legitimate communications from fraudulent ones. The Tap, Swipe, Scam study, based on a survey of 1,300 adults across the US, UK, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, highlights the growing risk of mobile-based attacks—both for individuals and enterprises, particularly those allowing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies.
Key Findings:
- Highest exposure rates were in the US (51%) and UK (49%).
- 36% of respondents admitted to falling victim to a scam, while 36% reported malware infections.
- Primary attack vectors included email (65%), phone calls (53%), SMS (50%), social media (47%), and messaging apps (40%).
- Social engineering (53%) was the most common threat, with 19% of users falling victim.
- Extortion schemes affected 17%, including ransomware (25%), sextortion (24%), and deepfake scams (20%). 18% reported virtual kidnapping attempts.
The report also underscores the psychological impact of these attacks, with 75% of victims experiencing emotional harm—46% citing mental health issues and 25% facing blackmail or harassment.
Broader Trends:
- Mobile phishing ("mishing") has surged, with 82% of phishing sites now targeting mobile devices, per a Zimperium study from September 2024.
- August 2024 saw a peak of over 1,000 mobile phishing attacks per day, reflecting the rapid evolution of cybercriminal tactics.
Malwarebytes’ David Ruiz emphasized the personal and technical dimensions of mobile threats, noting that AI and deepfake technologies are amplifying risks. The report calls for better user empowerment to combat scams, though it stops short of prescriptive advice.
Source: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/half-of-mobile-users-now-face/
Malwarebytes cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/malwarebytes
Zimperium cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/zimperium
"id": "MALZIM1767063128",
"linkid": "malwarebytes, zimperium",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '1300 adults polled',
'location': ['US',
'UK',
'Austria',
'Germany',
'Switzerland'],
'type': 'individuals and enterprises'}],
'attack_vector': ['email',
'phone calls',
'SMS',
'social media',
'messaging apps',
'buying/selling platforms'],
'data_breach': {'sensitivity_of_data': ['personally identifiable information',
'sensitive personal data']},
'description': 'Almost half (44%) of mobile users report being exposed to '
'scams and threats on a daily basis, with concerns about '
'losing important files and productivity loss. The report '
'highlights growing enterprise risk due to BYOD policies, with '
'social engineering, phishing, extortion, and ransomware as '
'common threats.',
'impact': {'identity_theft_risk': ['high'],
'operational_impact': ['productivity loss'],
'systems_affected': ['mobile devices']},
'lessons_learned': 'Mobile threats are increasingly sophisticated, with '
'social engineering and phishing as dominant attack '
'vectors. Users struggle to distinguish scams from '
'legitimate communications, and the psychological toll is '
'significant.',
'motivation': ['financial gain',
'data theft',
'extortion',
'psychological harm'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['user education',
'enhanced mobile security '
'tools',
'monitoring for phishing '
'and scams'],
'root_causes': ['lack of user awareness',
'sophisticated social engineering',
'BYOD policies']},
'recommendations': ['Empower users with tools and knowledge to spot and '
'report scams',
'Enhance mobile security measures for BYOD environments',
'Raise awareness about deepfake and AI-driven threats'],
'references': [{'source': 'Malwarebytes Tap, Swipe, Scam report'},
{'source': 'Zimperium study on mobile phishing'}],
'title': 'Mobile Scams and Threats Exposure',
'type': ['scam', 'phishing', 'ransomware', 'extortion', 'malware']}