Scam Detector has three sensitivity levels you can choose from. | Image credit — McAfee
- Text scam detection with over 99% accuracy
- Detection of deepfake videos with up to 96% accuracy
- Real-time alerts for suspicious texts, emails, and videos
- Works across apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Gmail, and more
- On-demand scan for messages, screenshots, or links
- Privacy-focused, with content scanned on the device
- Email scanning across Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft accounts
- Explanation of why something was flagged to help people learn what to watch for
Unlike scam protection features from companies like Google, which are split across different products — such as in-call scam detection on Pixel phones or scam filtering in Gmail — McAfee’s approach is to offer everything in one place. Scam Detector works across multiple apps, browsers, and platforms regardless of the device or ecosystem. It’s a more unified solution, which could be helpful for people who don’t rely on a single brand’s services.
Scam Detector works across several messaging and video apps on Android and iOS. | Images credit — McAfee
How does it work?
On Android, scam texts are automatically scanned before they’re even opened. iPhone users can manually scan messages or use filters to catch suspicious ones. Scam Detector also checks videos on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where deepfakes are increasingly common. Earlier this year, McAfee found that YouTube alone accounted for the majority of deepfake scam detections. Scam Detector also works on PC, with Mac and Chromebook support offered at the moment as a technology preview.
Scam Detector working on a Windows PC. | Image credit — McAfee
Deepfake alert on YouTube mobile. | Image credit — McAfee
Scam Detector is included with all McAfee core plans, which start at $39.99 per month for a two-year membership. There are multiple tiers available depending on how many devices you want to cover and what extra features you need.
While no solution is perfect, this type of all-in-one protection could make it easier for people to stay ahead of modern scams. Having scam detection that works across your apps and devices, without needing to rely on separate tools, may offer a bit more peace of mind in a digital world that feels less predictable every day.
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