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Scam Messages Are Everywhere. CNET Survey Finds 96% of Americans Are Targeted by Scammers Each Week

Scam emails are the most common tactic criminals use to reach out to us, followed by phone calls, texts and social media messages.

Like many of you, I check my email multiple times a day. Too often, as I’m scrolling through updates from my son’s school, checking my bills or browsing retail deals, an email subject line or sender catches my eye that I know is a scam.

I know I’m not the only one who regularly receives scam messages. A new CNET survey shows that 96% of Americans receive at least one scam message from email, phone calls or texts each week.

CNET’s Danni Santana, who regularly tracks and reports on cybersecurity issues, finds this number concerning, but not surprising. With a rise in data breaches, scammers likely know how to reach you and will try different methods to get you to fall for a scam.

«Data breaches that leak the personal information of everyday Americans, including phone numbers, happen almost every day,» said Santana. «Just about all of us have been affected by one, whether we know it or not.»

With scammers now using artificial intelligence to create more convincing scams to trick us into sharing our information through phone calls, texts and direct social media messages, spotting scam messages has become more difficult. As bad actors leverage AI to get faster and better at crafting scam messages, it’s important to stay vigilant.  

Here’s what else we learned and expert tips to help you avoid falling victim to a scam. 

Most US adults get weekly scam messages

Scammers try to reach us in almost every way we communicate. It can happen when we answer the phone (they might even be trying to get a snippet of our voice to use in another scam later), via text message or through a direct social media message that feels personal and authentic. 

So how do you protect yourself? Here’s what CNET experts recommend.

Most US adults are threatened by email scams weekly

CNET’s survey found that email scams are the most common type of scam message US adults receive on a weekly basis — 90% of Americans get at least one per week. Survey findings also show that older generations, Baby Boomers and Gen X, are the most targeted — 94% of each group receive at least one scam email a week.

Bree Fowler, CNET’s senior security reporter, says phishing emails aren’t as easy to spot anymore.

«It used to be that scammers would go with over-the-top phishing emails that wanted you to ‘Click now!’ saying that you were going to miss out on a great deal, be hit with credit card charges you didn’t make or even go to jail for back taxes,» said Fowler. But people have caught on to what scammers are up to, and now they’re trying to hide in plain sight. 

Before you open an email that could be a scam, look closely at the subject line and sender. Fowler said that scam subject lines are a lot less obnoxious than they used to be. For example, shipping notifications are a still popular scam email that can seem harmless because they impersonate companies, such as Amazon or a bank. 

If you accidentally open the email, hover over the link to see if anything looks suspicious but don’t click it. Fowler also recommends looking for good antivirus software and other security measures such as two-factor authentication and a solid password. 

Phone call scams aren’t slowing down 

I’m all too familiar with getting phone calls from a random phone number in the middle of the day. Scammers are even leaving voicemails now. 

Second to emails, phone scams are the next most common with 83% of US adults saying they receive at least one spam phone call a week. Even worse, 23% say they experience 10 or more scam calls per week. By generation, Boomers receive the most spam calls — 89% receive at least one scam phone call a week.

Nowadays, most phone carriers have features to spot scam calls. My carrier marks these calls as «Spam Risk» to flag suspicious calls to help me better identify them. 

If you answer and suspect it’s a scammer, hang up right away. You can always call the company the caller claimed to work for, like your bank or utility, to check whether the phone call was legitimate.

There’s another risk to talking to scammers on the phone. Some are using artificial intelligence to clone your voice. The scammers then use the recording to make their calls seem more trustworthy to scam others, potentially including your family and friends. The longer a scammer can capture your voice, the more accurate their future calls become. 

Read more: Protect Yourself from Anonymous Calls: Unknown Caller vs. No Caller ID

Text message scams can be sneaky

CNET found that 82% of US adults receive text scams weekly. Thirty-four percent reported receiving one to two text scams per week, while 13% said they get 10 or more per week. 

Scam texts, also known as «smishing,» can add up if you fall for them. US adults lost a whopping $470 million in text scams last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. However, there are ways to catch text scams and keep phishers from stealing your money or identity this way. It starts with being on the lookout for any common scams that are making news headlines. 

Santana said that the fact that we continue to see phishing scams is proof that they’re working. How often you receive unsolicited texts or phone calls could be a coincidence or it could mean scammers think you’re an easy target, he added.

One text scam that’s been common this year is messages from fake agencies about unpaid tolls and threats if you don’t pay your unpaid balance right away. You may also receive fake messages from what appears to be your bank, a government agency like the IRS or Social Security Administration, or even a hopeful scam message about your student loans qualifying for debt relief. Most of these messages come with an urgent request for a response or a payment. 

Santana says it’s best to slow down before taking any action if you get a suspicious text. You don’t need to respond immediately. 

«Whenever you get a random text message claiming you must take action or else, the best thing you can do is take a breath and slow down,» said Santana. «Scammers want you to make rash decisions. But if you calm down and analyze the link or even the language used in the message, you have a good chance of identifying the scam.»

Read more: If Someone Says, ‘You Must Pay, or Else,’ It’s Likely a Scam. Ways to Protect Yourself

If you do open a scam message, avoid clicking on suspicious links and don’t respond. If you don’t recognize the number, block the sender and report it as spam. It’s also recommended to keep an eye out for updates to your phone’s software for spamware defense and security improvements.

Social media scams can look convincing

I’ve fallen for a social media scam before. I received an offer for discounted tickets to a college football game, and I sent the «seller» a few hundred dollars via Zelle before verifying that they were legitimate.

Over half of US adults (60%) receive one or more direct social media messages per week. Gen Z sees the most social media scams — 66% receiving at least one per week. So it’s important to be vigilant and ignore messages from anyone you don’t know. If you receive a suspicious direct message from someone in your contact list, reach out to them via text or the phone to confirm whether it’s legitimate. 

«The same tactics you use to avoid falling for text messages can be applied to scammers sliding into your DMs with ‘too good to be true’ deals or money-making opportunities,» said Santana. Don’t respond to anyone you don’t know, and if you believe your loved one is being impersonated, report the message and user right away. Most importantly, don’t respond. 

Read more: My Kids Were Targeted by Scams. Here’s How I Keep Them Safe

Banks are taking action to protect customers. In March, Chase announced that it would block Zelle transactions initiated on social media to protect customers from being scammed. If you’re wary of conducting a transaction online, try other trusted sites and payment methods that are verified and provide protections for both buyers and sellers, such as eBay and Mercari. 

Most importantly, pay attention to security features and reminders. For example, Venmo asks you to verify the last four digits of a Venmo user you’re unfamiliar with before sending money and to be careful when making online purchases. Most peer-to-peer payment apps don’t offer fraud protection.  

Methodology

CNET commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,437 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken April 28-30, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults aged 18 and over. 

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Technologies

The Maker of the $20K Neo Robot Has a Deal for 10,000 of Its Humanoids

The goal is to get the robots working with actual humans in areas such as manufacturing, facility operations and health care.

Robot maker 1X made a splash back in October when it opened preorders for its Neo humanoid robot for home use, not least because of its $20,000 price tag. Now it’s making another splash with a deal for up to 10,000 of its humanoids to be deployed over the next five years.

Private equity firm EQT says it will facilitate getting thousands of 1X humanoids into its portfolio companies to work with humans in areas such as manufacturing, facility operations and health care. It’s unclear whether those robots will be from the Neo line itself or a variation. The press release for the EQT deal says that 1X will launch pilots in the US in 2026, which is the same time frame the company gave for getting the first Neo units to customers. 

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

1X, based in Palo Alto, California, has also worked on industrial robots before introducing Neo. Stockholm-based EQT is an investor in 1X.

Preorders for Neo require a $200 down payment. For those who prefer not to own, a $499-per-month leasing option is available.

Neo stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and can lift 154 pounds. 1X has demonstrated its ability to perform household tasks, such as folding laundry and carrying groceries. Notably, though, in a demo witnessed by a Wall Street Journal reporter, Neo was not autonomous — it required a remote human operator using a VR headset and controllers. 

A 1X spokesperson told Bloomberg that the robots will operate autonomously.

Financial terms for the EQT deal weren’t disclosed. 1X and EQT said robots will be deployed to US partner companies first, for purchase or for leasing, and then to those in Europe and Asia. 

A representative for 1X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A robotic future?

In a release, EQT Ventures said the deal will be part of a wave of mass-market robot adoption and is meant to address issues including labor shortages.

«This isn’t about replacing people, it’s about giving them superpowers,» Ted Persson, lead partner at EQT Ventures, said in a statement. «By making 1X’s technology available to our portfolio companies, we help them tackle labor shortages, improve safety, and unlock new levels of productivity in the industries that keep the world running.»

1X is one of several companies aiming to mass-produce humanoid robots for business, household tasks and even boxing. Amazon is already using robots in its warehouses, and it’s anticipated that AI advances will help speed the rise of robotics across the world.

Unitree, Apptronik, Boston Dynamics and Tesla are among the companies working on human-style robots. 

Tesla has been trolled for a recent robot fail: At a public demo in Miami, one of its Optimus robots apparently knocked over bottles it was trying to pick up, then lost its balance and fell.

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Technologies

Microsoft Wishes Xbox Game Pass Subscribers a Bloody Christmas With Mortal Kombat 1

«Get over here!» and celebrate the holidays with Scorpion.

Just in time for the holidays, Microsoft has a new batch of games on Xbox Game Pass. Leading the pack is Mortal Kombat 1, the bloody reboot of the fighting game franchise. It’s the perfect time of the year to sing carols and decapitate some digital heads.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in November, including The Outer Worlds 2.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Mortal Kombat 1

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

The Mortal Kombat series has gone back to the beginning, sort of. Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot of the franchise with some changes, such as series protagonist Liu Kang becoming the Fire God who created this new universe. Pick your favorite fighter from the mainstays, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Johnny Cage, or splurge a bit and purchase the downloadable characters, including the T-1000 from the Terminator series, Conan the Barbarian or DC Comics’ Peacemaker. 

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage 

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a narrative adventure game from Don’t Nod, the studio behind Life Is Strange, and follows a group of friends as they uncover long-hidden secrets from a pivotal summer in 1995. Decades later, they reunite to confront the secrets they buried and the fallout that still haunts them.

Monster Train 2

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Monster Train 2 is the sequel to the deck-building roguelike from Shiny Shoe, bringing back strategic card combat with new factions and mechanics. Players once again battle through shifting hellscapes while defending their pyre from invading forces. The sequel expands on the original with deeper customization, more dynamic battles and fresh ways to build powerful decks.

Routine

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game from Lunar Software, finally released after more than a decade in development. Set on an abandoned lunar base, it blends exploration with tense, survival-driven encounters against rogue machines. The game’s long road to launch has made its atmospheric world and polished retro-futuristic design a key part of its appeal.

The Crew Motorfest

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.

The Crew Motorfest is a massive car culture festival spanning the Hawaiian islands, featuring races, stunts and open-world driving challenges. The game features more than 700 vehicles, including cars, bikes, boats and planes, letting you pick how you want to explore the islands. Now in its third year of free updates, Motorfest adds new locations, customization options, a race creator tool and NASCAR content.

Death Howl

Available now for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Death Howl is a genre‑blending soulslike deckbuilder where players craft tactical decks and face relentless spirits as Ro, a grieving mother on a mythic quest to bring her son back from the dead. You’ll be building decks, dodging deadly spirits and wondering if that creepy forest is watching you back.

Dome Keeper

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.

Dome Keeper is a roguelike survival miner from indie studio Bippinbits, where players dig for resources and upgrade their defenses while protecting a glass dome from relentless alien attacks. You’ll still be digging for scraps and blasting alien hordes as you juggle mining for upgrades and zipping back to shore up your dome before it gets wrecked.

Games leaving Game Pass in December

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing five others from the service this month. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

On December 15:

On December 31:

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.

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Exodus, the Upcoming Sci-Fi Game, Merges Mass Effect With the Drama of Interstellar

Ahead of The Game Awards, the developers of the action RPG talk about time dilation, romanceable companions and other hard sci-fi effects.

Exodus, the upcoming game made by former BioWare developers who worked on the Mass Effect series, has been a long-awaited follow-up to the venerable action RPG. Now, a new trailer shown off at The Game Awards 2025 on Thursday night introduces the game’s characters, teases the dramatic, star-spanning story, and gives sci-fi gamers what they want most: the news that the game will be released in 2027.

First introduced at The Game Awards two years ago, Exodus will be the debut game from studio Archetype Entertainment, operating under Wizards of the Coast. Early trailers laid the groundwork of the game’s universe, a hard science fiction adventure where travel across the stars can take moments for one person or decades for another. Now that the game is closer to its release, I sat down with Exodus’ developers to chat about what’s in store for their newly revealed hero, Jun. We also chatted about companions, big choices and Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey, previously confirmed to be in the game, plays a mysterious character named C.C. Orlev, explained Chad Robertson, co-founder and general manager at Archetype. He’s a blend of teacher and voice of the people, meaning players will likely hear a lot from the famed actor during their playthrough as Jun.

«Jun doesn’t really fully understand the origins of how C.C. comes into his life, effectively. And C.C. still serves as a bit of a mentor and advisor to Jun,» Robertson said. 

McConaughey’s role in the hard sci-fi film Interstellar thematically aligns with Exodus’ implementation of time dilation — the physics theory that as objects go faster (like a ship approaching the speed of light), time slows down for them. Since there are no wormholes or teleporters in the game’s universe, explained Drew Karpyshyn, narrative director of Exodus at Archetype, players will have to make some tough calls. If they head out on a mission that’s 10 years away and takes 10 years to come back, that’s 20 years passing on the planet they left.

«Everybody’s aged. The world has moved on. Things have changed, and that puts some really interesting opportunities and some really interesting conflicts and dilemmas for the players to deal with, the emotional impact of what happens to the people you leave behind — your friends, your companions, the people you care about,» Karpyshyn said.

Time dilation is just one of the mechanics that sets Exodus apart from other sci-fi games. In Exodus, humanity left an uninhabitable Earth thousands of years ago to find refuge in the Centauri system, but their colony ships staggered in their arrival. The latest humans to make it, like Jun, are met by civilizations that have evolved over the millennia into other humanoids alongside «Awakened animals,» explained Chris King, game director of Exodus at Archetype. 

«I think there’s similarities to games we’ve worked on in the past, but there’s a ton of things we’re doing that are pretty different,» King said.

Archetype has leaned heavily on player decisions in Exodus, which isn’t a surprise since its developers were behind the choice-heavy BioWare games. Expect plenty of morally ambiguous choices in the game that won’t make everyone happy, King said. Players will just have to go on Exodus missions — the titular sojourns that leave family and friends behind for years at a time — and see how they play out. 

«For us, it’s all about trying to give players as much agency as possible. We think of them as co-authors in the story and experience,» King said. «We’re basically trying to cram in as many choices and consequential gameplay so that they can customize the experience and compare notes with a friend who’s playing the same game. Their experience can be pretty drastically different.»

Unlike the pure good and evil choices of games like Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect, Exodus will veer away from a specific alignment system, Karpyshyn said. There will be mechanics in the game that honor and reflect choices, though the developers are trying to avoid the more artificial feel of picking options for, say, goodness points in favor of picking what’s best for their character. Gameplay choices, interactions and how players upgrade their hero will give them a reputation.

Companions also play a big part, and some of them will be romanceable, but not all. In the new trailer, we meet Salt, an Awakened octopus piloting a mech suit who simply isn’t interested in humans like Jun. These companion characters have their own stories and motivations that players can choose to explore, and they won’t always see eye-to-eye with each other.

While we’ll have to wait and see how Archetype incorporates all these sci-fi RPG elements, it’s clear that Mass Effect’s shadow looms large over Exodus. How much the new game resembles its spiritual predecessor will be clarified as more of it is revealed, but a clear divergence lies in inspiration. In addition to Interstellar, Archetype’s developers looked to another iconic sci-fi saga to pattern its new game after: Frank Herbert’s epic Dune novels, which were recently adapted to the screen by Denis Villeneuve.

Archetype took specific inspiration from «the scope and timelines of consequences, the idea of dynasties, family politics, rising up to become a leader and sort of savior of your people,» Karpyshynsaid.

At Archetype’s studio space in Austin, Texas, posters line the walls from films and media that also inspired the game, like Interstellar and Edge of Tomorrow. Other properties, like the Star Wars show The Mandalorian, evoke the desperate fights players will find themselves in in Exodus — outnumbered, outgunned and flanked by a couple of companions. The developers took a page out of Horizon Zero Dawn’s elemental combat, too.

For all that they’re working to step out from Mass Effect’s shadow, the developers acknowledge its impact on fans — and their desire that Exodus rise to a similar place in gamers’ esteem.

«Mass Effect gets brought up pretty frequently for us. We humbly aspire to deliver something that will resonate with fans at the scale of Mass Effect. We’re super excited and confident that what we’re building is going to put us in that direction, but we’ve got to earn that with fans and deliver something that they’re excited about,» Robertson said. 

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