- Nearly two-thirds of victims believe AI tools enabled their fraud experience
- One in ten victims handed over money within just five minutes
- Scammers moved across multiple platforms in 63% of incidents
Messaging scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated as criminals use AI to imitate trusted people, familiar brands, and everyday conversations.
New research from Kaspersky suggests these schemes are succeeding with alarming speed, often convincing victims to hand over money within minutes.
The findings indicate that digital experience alone may no longer provide reliable protection against modern fraud attempts.
AI-powered scams are becoming faster and more convincing
The study found that nearly two-thirds of scam victims globally, or 64.5%, believed AI tools played a role in the fraud attempts directed at them.
In the United Kingdom, 54% of respondents suspected criminals used deepfakes or synthetic voices to impersonate relatives, friends, or legitimate organizations, allowing scammers to create convincing scenarios that closely resemble genuine interactions and trusted relationships.
According to the research, more than half of UK victims completed payments or shared sensitive information within 30 minutes of initial contact.
More than 1 in 10 victims, representing 12.2%, did so within 5 minutes, demonstrating how rapidly these operations unfold.
Researchers also found nearly two-thirds (63%) of incidents moved across multiple communication platforms, helping fraudsters maintain credibility while avoiding suspicion.
The most common scams involved investment opportunities, affecting 40% of respondents, followed by fake delivery alert at 38% and brand impersonation schemes at 35%.
Dr. Elisabeth Carter, forensic linguist and criminologist at Kingston University London, said…
