Technologies

Study Finds Phishing Scams Are on the Rise, Accelerated by AI

Web-based phishing and spoofing reports increased by over 85% year over year.

You’re probably all too familiar with the words «potential spam» or «suspicious activity detected» or even a pop-up in Gmail that reads, «This message might be dangerous.» That’s because we are all potential victims of phishing, spoofing and other online scams at all times. According to a new report from the National Consumers League, phishing and spoofing scams increased by over 85%, and the average financial losses caused by such scams have more than doubled, from $1,000 to $2,060.

Generative AI has been integral to the growing number of attacks, which are becoming more frequent and sophisticated. The US Federal Trade Commission reported that Americans lost over $12 billion due to consumer fraud attacks and scams in 2024, a 25% year-over-year increase. These losses are only expected to grow as scams become more convincing, enabled by AI tools that allow scammers to clone voices, create deepfakes, localize messages and personalize the language used in scam emails, texts and social media posts.

«Given widespread evidence that scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to craft better pitches, the rise in phishing complaints is particularly concerning,» John Breyault, the NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud, said in a statement.

Notably, 48% of the 1,376 complaints analyzed by the NCL report involved online scam attempts, marking a distinct shift away from phone scams as the primary method used by attackers.

Young people are vulnerable

There are widespread assumptions that younger people (Millennials and Gen Z) are less likely to be affected by web-based, AI-powered scams because of their digital literacy. While it is true that older adults, age 56 and above, account for more than a third (37.94%) of the complaints, younger adults are also targeted at increasing rates.

The NCL found that millennials accounted for 39.8% of total fraud complaints, and complaints from adults aged 26 to 35 increased by 68.1% year over year.

How to protect yourself online in 2026

While web-based and AI-generated scam attempts are rising and becoming more sophisticated, there are ways to protect yourself online. The NCL says to watch out for anything that seems too good to be true, and suggests familiarizing yourself with popular scam methods, such as fake check scams, fake prize and sweepstakes scams, internet merchandise scams and investment scams.

The Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting American consumers, also recommends that you remain vigilant and question unexpected calls, texts or emails, as well as any messages that have a sense of urgency or threats. For instance, be wary of messages that include language like «act now» or «your account will be locked.»

The CFA also urges you to independently verify communications or individuals by researching phone numbers, names, websites and purported businesses rather than trusting caller ID, links or contact information.

If you suspect you have been a victim of a scam attempt, report it to authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

Technologies

OnePlus and Oppo to Raise Smartphone Prices as Memory Costs Climb

Oppo says rising costs for key phone components will trigger price adjustments on some devices starting March 16.

Chinese smartphone-makers OnePlus and Oppo plan to raise prices on some existing models starting next week, according to a 9to5Google report citing GizmoChina and a notice posted on Oppo’s China online store.

In its notice, Oppo said it would adjust pricing after evaluating rising costs for several key components used in its mobile phones. The changes are expected to take effect around March 16 and will affect some of the company’s more affordable smartphones, as well as some OnePlus models.

Flagship devices — like those in the Find and Reno series — are not expected to be affected for now. The reported adjustments currently appear to be limited to China.

The move highlights growing pressure across the smartphone supply chain as component costs climb. Analysts say prices for memory and storage chips used in phones have been rising in recent months as demand surges across the tech industry.

Much of the chip demand is coming from the rapid buildout of AI data centers, which rely on large amounts of high-performance memory.

That pressure isn’t limited to Oppo and OnePlus. Analysts say smartphone brands across the industry are facing rising component costs amid increased demand for memory chips.

As manufacturers shift production toward higher-margin memory used in AI servers, supply for consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops can tighten.

If component costs continue to rise, manufacturers may face difficult choices later this year, including raising retail prices or adjusting device specifications to offset higher manufacturing costs.

OnePlus and Oppo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Harvard Business Review Study Finds ‘AI Brain Fry’ Is Leaving Workers Mentally Fatigued

Study participants reported increased mental fatigue while using AI tools, but less burnout overall.

Workers who excessively use AI agents and tools at work are at increased risk of mental fatigue, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study. In certain industries, more than 25% of hired professionals report increased mental strain due to their role in AI oversight — though these professionals also generally experienced less burnout than peers who aren’t using AI.

This phenomenon — which the researchers refer to as «AI brain fry» — is described as a «‘buzzing’ feeling or a mental fog» that caused study participants to develop headaches and difficulty focusing and making decisions. Individuals pointed to being overwhelmed by large amounts of information and to frequent task switching as the reasons for these feelings.

Studied individuals experienced more brain fry when they utilized AI agents to manage a workload beyond their own cognitive capacity. When participants used AI to replace mundane, repetitive tasks, managing the growing number of tools led to increased mental fatigue.

Crucially, the study found that fewer individuals who used these AI agents reported workplace burnout.

The researchers predict that this is because burnout testing assesses emotional and physical distress. In contrast, they report, acute mental fatigue «is caused by marshalling attention, working memory and executive control beyond the limited capacity of these systems.»

These are the processes that are taxed when study participants use multiple AI tools in their workflow, according to the researchers.

The Harvard study identifies several business costs incurred by workers suffering from AI brain fry. The foremost consequence is that these individuals may end up making lower-quality decisions. «Workers in [the] study who endorsed AI brain fry experience 33% more decision fatigue than those who did not,» the study reports. Workers who report AI brain fry were also more likely to self-report making both minor and major errors at their jobs.

Another recent Harvard Business Review study similarly found that employees who use AI tools «worked at a faster pace, took on a broader scope of tasks and extended work into more hours of the day,» but warned that «workload creep can in turn lead to cognitive fatigue, burnout and weakened decision-making.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 11, #1004

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 11, No. 1,004.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Once I spotted «ice cream» and «traffic» in today’s NYT Connections puzzle, I had the blue category all but filled in. But that purple category was even more bizarre than usual. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Bring that back!

Green group hint: Fancy ____.

Blue group hint: Think of a certain shape.

Purple group hint: Sounds like…