NordVPN warns AI is making scams more personal and devastating than ever

Date:
Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:18:50 +0000

Description:
NordVPN's first flagship Consumer Cybersecurity Report reveals how AI is industrializing fraud and bypassing technical defenses by targeting the human element. Here is what you need to know to stay safe.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter NordVPN blocked over 5 million malware attempts in January alone 99% of phishing attacks impersonate just
300 brands AI tools and fraud kits mean attackers no longer need advanced skills We are well past the days when a cyberattack meant mass-mailing a poorly spelled virus. In 2026, cybercriminals are heavily leveraging generative AI to make their scams highly personal, industrializing fraud on a massive scale.

That is the stark warning from the Consumer Cybersecurity Report: Dismantling the Evolving Threat Landscape, published today by NordVPN . Analyzing threat intelligence data from the first half of the year, the prominent
cybersecurity and best VPN provider uncovered that the most exploited vulnerability right now isn't outdated software; it is human trust. Armed
with unrestricted AI models and ready-to-use fraud kits, scammers have drastically lowered the entry barrier for digital crime. The focus has decisively shifted from complex technical exploits to highly targeted campaigns that weaponize greed, urgency, and our faith in familiar brands.

"Bad actors are weaponizing our natural instinct to believe what we see and hear," says Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN, warning that these attacks no longer require advanced skills or significant resources. "Anyone with an internet connection can launch them."

It's in this context that "A single human error is now more likely than ever and likely to be more devastating than ever," Briedis added. You may like NordVPN warns of fake Ryanair, Emirates, Qatar Airways websites used to
spread malware From typos to deepfakes: the new AI cybersecurity battleground Surfshark warns personal devices are a 'wide-open door' as UK Prime Minister falls for impersonation scam

NordVPN the best VPN overall NordVPN came out on top in our 2026 round of VPN tests. We think it's the best VPN for most people. Were confident that virtually anyone can sign up for NordVPN and get what they need from it. Its easy to use, very secure, fast enough for gaming, and offers flawless streaming service unblocking.

Subscriptions start from $3.49 per month, and you can try it out risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. View Deal The numbers behind the threat NordVPN analyzes 12 million unique URLs daily, blocking an average of 130,000 malicious pages every 24 hours before they can reach a user a critical defense mechanism as NordVPNs antivirus tool continues to block massive volumes of malicious sites.

Malware remains the single largest threat by volume . January 2026 saw a massive peak of over 5 million blocked attempts as attackers preyed on post-holiday shoppers. Most of these were infostealers aiming to grab saved login credentials.

The US was the hardest hit with 4.89 million attempts across the first half
of the year, followed by the UK (2 million) and Germany (1.32 million).

Phishing is equally rampant . NordVPN blocked over 4.4 million phishing attempts in the first half of the year, noting that 99% of these attacks impersonate a narrow list of just 300 brands, often disguised as fake job recruiter campaigns .

Microsoft was the most impersonated company (16.12%), followed by Roblox (12.32%), Google (9.94%), and Netflix (5.99%). Adding to the danger,
attackers frequently exploit the trusted .com domain, which accounts for
43.2% of all intercepted scams. What to read next How AI fraud rings are taking on retail Security experts warn of AI-boosted scam campaigns that can trick even the smartest victims The surge in AI-driven fraud requires coordinated global defense (Image credit: Future) NEW : Leave No Trace A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk and the people fighting back.

Subscribe now to get every edition delivered to your inbox every Friday, launching this September. Hijacked sessions and the Dark Web While users are increasingly wary of downloading fake apps or clicking shady links hidden in pirate sites , attackers are finding stealthier ways in.

Between January 1 and May 26, 2026, a staggering 94 billion cookies were exposed online . Of these, 1.2 billion were active session cookies, which cybercriminals can use to hijack accounts without needing a password, often completely bypassing multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Once data is stolen, it is swiftly commodified. Using its Dark Web Monitoring tools, NordVPN identified 8.4 million compromised accounts in just 90 days . (Image credit: NordVPN) Frighteningly, over 47% of the exchanged data
involved physical addresses and full names, allowing attackers to weave digital and real-world identifiers together into comprehensive victim profiles.

Telephony isn't safe, either. Between the service's launch and June 16, NordVPN blocked nearly 29,000 scam calls and issued spam warnings to over 525,000 users. How to stay safe Because technical barriers for criminals are lower than ever, defensive strategies must evolve. NordVPN's report stresses that consumer protection now requires a mix of both technological defenses
and behavioral resilience .

Alongside using security tools like a virtual private network (VPN) and antivirus software, users must cultivate a healthy skepticism. If a message, email, or website demands urgent action or offers something too good to be true, pause and verify.

In the age of AI-driven fraud, a moment of hesitation is your best line of defense. Today's best NordVPN deals NordVPN 2 Year 2.59 /mth View at NordVPN NordVPN 1 year 4.09 /mth View at NordVPN NordVPN 1 Month 11.09 /mth View at NordVPN Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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