Consumers are encountering scams on social media, text platforms, phone calls, and while shopping online.
A new report out today from Consumer Reports, Aspen Digital, and the Global Cyber Alliance found that 91 percent of Americans report that they have encountered at least one type of cyberattack or digital scam attempt that was asked about as part of a nationally representative survey of 4,682 US adults conducted by Consumer Reports in the spring of 2026.
This survey, as detailed in the fifth annual Cyber Readiness Report, found that the most common of these scam attempts involve spam messages from people the recipient doesn’t know (encountered by 78 percent of Americans) and emails or text messages trying to get the recipient to click on a suspect link or attachment (77 percent). More than half of Americans also encountered fake invoices and scammers impersonating legitimate organizations, and about a third said a scammer pretended to be someone they know.
With scam attempts such an everyday aspect of American life, Consumer Reports also looked at what, specifically, made people suspicious during a scam attempt and led them to retreat. The report details features of scam attempts that raise red flags for their intended victims.
The report covers the specific aspects of scam attempts that people found suspicious, the payment methods that led to higher recovery rates after a scam, and how social media use can increase your risk of falling prey to a scam. The report also highlights the risk of personalized scams. One in five people said the most recent scam or cyberattack attempt they encountered was customized using their personal details.
For more information, please read the full report.
