Malwarebytes

MobiDash (a particularly aggressive adware) detections increased by 77% from September through November 2025.

Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP) detections increased by nearly 75% in the June to November 2025 period compared to the December to May period.

Adware levels nearly doubled from the December to May period to the June to November timeframe in 2025, with a 27% increase observed from August through November.

45% of people have been targeted by Adware.

27% of people encounter scams daily on social media platforms.

20% of people have fallen victim to Adware.

27% of people are targeted by scam text messages daily.

15% of marketplace shoppers experience scams daily.

12% of consumers have been victims of postal tracking scams.

42% of consumers have encountered postal tracking scams.

27% of consumers have fallen victim to ad-related malware.

55% of people receive scam text messages weekly.

11% of people have fallen victim to Malvertising.

10% of consumers have been victims of marketplace scams.

40% of people have been targeted by Malvertising.

36% of marketplace shoppers encounter scams weekly.

58% of consumers have encountered ad-related malware.

33% of consumers have encountered a marketplace scam.

51% of people encounter scams on social media weekly.

24% of victims of AI-driven scams had their personal information stolen.

65% of extortion scam victims are male.

Gen Z and Millennials account for two in three victims of extortion scams.

29% of victims of AI-driven scams suffered work or school consequences.

21% of victims of AI-driven scams had financial accounts opened in their name.

Nearly one in five mobile users has fallen victim to an extortion scam.

Nearly 9 in 10 extortion victims reported emotional harm because of the scam they experienced.

58% of Gen Z have been targets of an extortion scam.

64% of extortion scam targets are Gen Z or Millennial.

One in six mobile users reported they've been a target of sextortion.

28% of Gen Z have been victims of an extortion scam.

Among AI scam victims and targets, 62% are iPhone users (vs. 51% overall).

38% of Gen Z have been a target of sextortion.

69% of extortion scam victims are Gen Z or Millennial.

52% of extortion victims agree 'I’m more likely to click a link on my phone than on my laptop'.

46% of extortion targets agree 'I’m more likely to click a link on my phone than on my laptop'.

35% of extortion victims experienced blackmail or harassment.

21% of extortion victims experienced damage to their reputation.

19% of extortion victims experienced consequences at work or school.

One in five mobile users has been the target of a deepfake scam.

43% of Gen Z users have been a target of AI-driven scams.

Among AI scam victims and targets, 45% are Gen Z (vs. 31% for extortion victims and targets overall).

40% of targets of other types of mobile scams (i.e., not extortion) are Gen Z or Millennial.

52% of victims of other types of mobile scams (i.e., not extortion) are Gen Z or Millennial.

60% of extortion scam targets are male.

45% of extortion victims are parents.

41% of extortion targets are parents.

Among AI scam victims and targets, 81% agree with the statement "I understand that sharing personal information with apps, on social media, or on messaging services can be risky, but I am okay with that risk".

32% of victims of AI-driven scams suffered reputation damage.

One in three mobile users has been targeted by an extortion scam.

53% of extortion victims are non-white.