New research by McAfee has found that many consumers tend to ignore red flags associated with scams when searching online for a good deal. The research identified the following consumer habits, all of which make users more likely to fall for online scams:

• “82% prioritize finding the cheapest deal when shopping online
• “55% spend more time hunting for deals
• “40% would trust a lower-priced deal without verifying it first
• “29% would skip researching a seller if the deal seemed especially good
• “27% are more likely to consider unfamiliar sellers because of lower prices
• “23% feel pressure to act quickly before deals disappear”

McAfee’s Head of Threat Research, Abhishek Karnik, stated, “What the data reflects is that economic pressure has effectively done some of the scammer’s work for them. When consumers are already primed to move quickly and prioritize price over authenticity, it takes far less effort to push them toward a bad click or a fraudulent purchase.”

Notably, despite this risky behavior, most users believe they would be able to spot a scam. Karnik added, “Anyone who has ever fallen for a scam thought they would recognize one first. That confidence is part of what scammers count on.”

Additionally, 70% of respondents said AI-generated content is making scams harder to spot, and 37% said they lost money to online shopping scams.

“AI is being used to make fake review sections, impersonation messages that look exactly like they came from a major retailer, realistic logos, believable URLS,” Karnik noted. “When you’re shopping online, you need to adjust your expectations to match that new AI reality.”

McAfee has the story: New Research: Rising Costs Are Driving Consumers to Ignore Scam Instincts for Better Deals