We sat down with McAfee Chief Technology Officer Steve Grobman to discuss their 2025 Tech Ascension Awards win for Best AI/ML Powered Cybersecurity Solution and how the company is redefining scam protection for consumers. In this interview, Steve shares how McAfee’s AI-powered Scam Detector is helping people navigate an era of increasingly sophisticated scams across text, email, and video. He also outlines McAfee’s vision for the future of consumer protection, where real-time scam detection becomes as seamless and expected as a spam filter.
McAfee’s Scam Detector was named Best AI/ ML Powered Solution. Given the rising sophistication and frequency of scams, how does McAfee's Scam Detector uniquely equip consumers to protect themselves across various digital communication channels?
Scams have become part of everyday life. Americans see an average of 14 scams a day, from fake DMV texts and emails posing as a boss to deepfake videos promoting bogus investments. Falling for just one can cost around $1,500, and beyond the financial loss it undermines trust in how we connect online. Scam Detector addresses this by automatically scanning text, email, and video, including deepfakes, and flagging suspicious content before someone clicks or responds. It’s built for modern communication and works across apps, browsers, and devices, adapts as tactics evolve, and is included in all core McAfee plans at no extra cost. The result is a solution that provides protection that feels effortless, allowing people to navigate their digital lives with greater confidence.
In what ways does McAfee's Scam Detector use AI to surpass traditional scam detection methods?
Until recently, the status quo of scam detection has been reactive, relying on users spotting scams through poorly spelled messages or using anti-virus software to scan for malicious links and attachments. Both are still valuable methods, but they leave users exposed to more sophisticated scams that use AI to not only generate well-crafted messaging but also mimic language, tone, and even voices and faces.
Scam Detector fills this gap and defends consumers against a comprehensive set of scams by leveraging a portfolio of advanced AI models running in the cloud and on devices. Our world-class team of AI researchers and data scientists are continuously evaluating the threat and scam landscape and leveraging new AI technology to protect customers and meet the growing need for tools that help people tell what’s real and what’s not.
The technology is also designed to be educational. Using advanced generative AI, Scam Detector explains why content is suspicious, which helps consumers build the awareness and confidence to spot scams on their own. In doing so, it provides protection in the moment while also fostering long-term digital street smarts.
You mentioned seamless operation across various devices. What devices and platforms does McAfee’s Scam Detector operate on and what does the user-experience look like?
Scams don’t wait for people to check their email at their desks. They arrive through texts, social apps, and even videos, catching people whenever and wherever they’re connected. That is why Scam Detector was designed mobile-first. Industry research shows that texts are opened within seconds, which makes speed essential. On Android, suspicious SMS messages are scanned automatically before they can be opened. On iPhone, they are filtered or can be checked quickly through a manual scan. The goal is to give people protection in all the places they’re exposed to scams, without adding extra steps.
Scam Detector also extends to email across providers like Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo. When a message looks suspicious, it is moved out of the inbox and the user can see a short explanation of why it was flagged. This prevents costly mistakes in the moment while also helping people recognize patterns and spot scams more easily in the future.
Deepfakes are making headlines more and more, from fake celebrity endorsements to political misinformation. Scam Detector addresses this issue by analyzing content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, with all processing done on the device to protect privacy. By bringing together protection for text, email, and video, Scam Detector reflects the way scams actually reach people today and helps them stay safer and feel more confident engaging online.
Why does this matter?
Scams are happening at an increased scale and speed. In the past year, 59 percent of people worldwide said they had either fallen victim to a scam or knew someone who had. Deepfakes can now be created in minutes for as little as five dollars, making sophisticated deception accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
The impact goes far beyond money. Victims lose time, confidence, and trust in the platforms and tools they rely on every day – and over time, encountering scams can make people more hesitant to engage confidently online.
Scam Detector gives people a compass for the internet—because seeing and hearing aren’t always believing. It works in real time across text, email, and video and explains why something looks risky, so people can trust what they’re seeing and stay ready for whatever comes next. This combination of protection and awareness helps people stay safer now and better prepared for the future.
Why now?
The pace of scams has accelerated dramatically. In the last year alone, detected deepfakes increased tenfold worldwide, with North America seeing a 1,740 percent rise. Nearly one in three Americans reported falling victim to an online scam between May 2024 and May 2025. These numbers show that scams are no longer occasional events but an everyday risk.
What makes this moment different is the role of AI. Cybercriminals now have access to tools that let them create convincing messages, voices, and videos in minutes. The barrier to launching a sophisticated scam has never been lower.
The urgency is clear. People need protection that evolves as quickly as the threats they face, and they need it now.
How does the introduction of McAfee’s Scam Detector impact consumers?
When scams don’t reach you, you keep your money, your time, and your peace of mind. McAfee’s Scam Detector provides that protection by analyzing texts, emails, and videos automatically and warning you before you click, reply, or pay. When it flags something, it also explains what looks off—so you avoid losses today and get smarter for tomorrow. And because it’s included with every McAfee plan at no extra cost, you get protection without extra spend.
What do you foresee for McAfee's future?
At McAfee, we’re focused on staying ahead of new threats so people feel protected as scams evolve. Just as important, we want to build a more scam-aware public — giving people both the digital street smarts and the technology to spot trouble before it costs them. Real-time protection paired with clear explanations means consumers get safety in the moment and confidence for the future.
Looking ahead, our vision is simple: within five years, scam protection should be as automatic and expected as a spam filter. McAfee is committed to making that a reality by delivering security that is seamless, accessible, and essential to everyday life.
