Moonlock, a MacPaw division, reveals: 52% of Americans faced political scams last year

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Apr 24, 2024, 08:00 ET

KYIV, Ukraine, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Moonlock, a MacPaw division that focuses exclusively on the cybersecurity needs of Mac users, today launched the Scams & Disinformation Survey Report. The survey gathered responses from across the US to highlight the patterns and trends of fraud and misinformation. Specifically, it focused on public awareness, attitudes, and behaviors toward such deceptive practices.

MacPaw's Moonlock releases Scams & Disinformation Survey Report

52% of Americans experienced at least one type of political scam over the past year.

"The intersection of AI advancements and the rise in online scams is a crucial area of exploration for Moonlock, as it aims to make cybersecurity more accessible to everyone," said Oleksandr Kosovan, founder and CEO of MacPaw. "The goal of the survey is to draw attention to public awareness and cybersecurity, ensuring individuals everywhere are prepared to counter digital threats."

Significant findings of the survey include:

67% of Americans have experienced at least one type of scam in the past 12 months. Surprisingly, the data suggests that younger people are more susceptible to scams.
52% of Americans have experienced some political scam over the past year.
64% of respondents believe that AI gives more advantage to scammers than those who fight them.

With the upcoming 2024 election in the USA, there is a unique opportunity to analyze the prevalence of political scams and disinformation. The fake impersonation of US President Joe Biden underscored the urgent need for scrutiny.

Despite the latest case of AI-generated robocalls imitating Biden's voice, which reached over 20,000 people, 64% of survey participants admitted they have never heard about scams with deepfakes of politicians or are unsure how they work. Yet, half of the respondents said they come across news they find fake or manipulative at least once a week.

Nevertheless, most respondents expressed high confidence in identifying fakes and disinformation. Such a perception can pose substantial risks due to a potentially false sense of security.

The full report can be found here.

About MacPaw

MacPaw develops and distributes software for macOS and iOS that simplifies the lives of Mac users. Crafted with precision and care, MacPaw's innovative products, including CleanMyMac X, CleanMy®Phone, Setapp, ClearVPN, and Spybuster, are meticulously designed to elevate the user experience within the Mac ecosystem. MacPaw is actively engaged in technological research, with a focus on advances in software technology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Machine Learning (ML), and more, with the goal of transforming research ideas into practical MacPaw products. Founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, with a subsidiary office in Boston, Massachusetts, MacPaw products have more than 30 million users worldwide, with one in every five Mac users having at least one app downloaded.

Moonlock is a division of MacPaw that focuses exclusively on the cybersecurity needs of Mac users. Moonlock aims to create innovative products that seamlessly protect people from modern threats. With its mission of creating cybersecurity tech for humans, Moonlock is committed to packaging complex technologies into tools anyone can use and making cybersecurity accessible to everyone.

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SOURCE MacPaw