When a natural disaster is brewing—whether it’s a hurricane, earthquake, or flood—early warning systems spring into action, providing critical alerts to help people take protective measures. These systems work by tracking and detecting early signs of danger, allowing those in danger to prepare, evacuate or find shelter. The Scam Wave Alerts feature in Scam Copilot works just like these disaster warning systems, helping to protect users against the surge in online scams.

Why this matters

Scam waves are orchestrated, high-volume scams that appear suddenly, often taking advantage of global events, holidays or specific vulnerabilities. During these times, scammers deploy a large number of phishing attempts, malicious links and fraudulent messages to exploit unsuspecting users. Like a rapidly rising tide, these waves of scams can overwhelm even cautious users if they are not properly prepared.

How Scam Alerts Work: A Digital Early Warning System

Just like seismic sensors detect tremors, Scam Copilot constantly monitors trends in your region. geographical. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Scam Copilot identifies emerging patterns in scams and notifies users in real time as new scam waves approach. If a new wave of scam messages or a malicious link starts circulating on WhatsApp, Scam Wave Alerts notifies users immediately, arming them with critical knowledge to avoid these threats.

Regional relevance provides targeted alerts for greater protection

Scam Wave alerts are geo-targeted. This means that users in locations where scam activity is at its peak will receive a warning to understand what they are likely to face in the near future. For example, if a phishing scam targets US users during tax season, US users are notified first, with advice appropriate for their local context.

Practical steps to take when a scam alert appears

When you receive a Scam Wave alert, consider it a request to secure your digital environment. Here’s how you can think of it as analogous to disaster preparedness:

1. Be informed – Just as keeping abreast of local weather news helps prepare for storms, keep an eye on Scammer Alerts to stay alert.
2. Avoid risk areas – Be very cautious about your inbox, messages and social media. Avoid clicking on any unexpected links or downloading attachments.
3. Strengthen the defense – Make sure your accounts have strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication where possible.
4. Educate family members – Disaster preparedness often involves family planning. Similarly, make sure family members are aware of the latest scams and encourage them to be cautious.

Availability

Scam Alerts serve as a powerful shield against the “digital storms” that online scams can create. This technology is now available as part of the Scam Copilot feature in Bitdefender Ultimate Security, Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (US only), Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security (US only) and Bitdefender Premium Security with support for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android .