Lucknow: A new survey by global cybersecurity firm McAfee has revealed that the average Indian spends nearly 102 hours every year trying to determine whether incoming digital messages are genuine or fraudulent. The findings, published in McAfee’s 2026 State of the Scamiverse – India Report, underline the rapidly growing scale and sophistication of online scams across the country.
The report is based on a nationwide survey of thousands of Indian adults and highlights how scam messages have become an unavoidable part of everyday digital life.
Scams Now a Daily Digital Experience
According to the report, Indians receive an average of 13 scam-related communications every day across platforms such as SMS, WhatsApp, email, phone calls and even malicious QR codes. Many of these messages closely mimic legitimate alerts from banks, courier services, e-commerce platforms and government agencies.
As a result, users are spending increasing amounts of time scrutinising each suspicious message. When calculated over a year, this caution adds up to more than four full days spent solely on identifying potential scams.
Awareness Up, Confidence Down
While awareness about cyber fraud has increased, confidence in identifying scams has declined. The report found that two out of five respondents feel less confident spotting scams than they did a year ago. This decline is attributed to the rising sophistication of fraudulent messages.
At the same time, caution is growing. About 82 per cent of respondents said they are now more careful about opening messages from unknown or unverified senders, reflecting a behavioural shift driven by constant exposure to suspicious communications.
Replies Without Links Still Pose Risks
One of the most concerning findings is that many scam messages no longer contain links. Despite this, users often engage with them. McAfee found that more than one in five people receive suspicious messages without any links, and 66 per cent of those recipients still respond, assuming the conversation is harmless.
Experts warn that replying itself can trigger the next phase of a scam, which may involve fake QR codes, follow-up links, or social engineering tactics designed to extract money or personal information.
Why Scams Are Harder to Detect
The report highlights several reasons why modern scams are increasingly difficult to identify:
- AI-generated content allows scammers to create realistic and personalised messages.
- Fraudsters closely imitate trusted brands, government notices and delivery alerts.
- Many scams lack traditional red flags such as spelling mistakes or suspicious URLs.
With these techniques, fraudulent messages often appear indistinguishable from legitimate communication, forcing users to second-guess even routine alerts.
Erosion of Trust in Digital Communication
The widespread presence of convincing scams is gradually eroding trust in digital messaging. Users are becoming hesitant to click links, respond to alerts or share information—even when messages come from legitimate sources. While this caution is necessary, the report notes that it also slows down genuine digital interactions and adds to everyday stress.
Safety Measures Recommended
Cybersecurity experts advise users to adopt simple but effective precautions:
- Pause before clicking on any link, even if the message appears official.
- Verify alerts independently by visiting official websites or contacting organisations directly.
- Avoid replying to unknown or suspicious senders, as responses can escalate scams.
- Report fraudulent messages to telecom providers, messaging platforms or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
The McAfee report concludes that as scams become more advanced, continuous awareness, digital literacy and strong reporting mechanisms are essential to protect users and rebuild trust in online communication.
