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Nine in 10 Americans Have Faced a Digital Scam or Cyberattack, Consumer Reports Finds

Consumer Reports’ 2026 findings report widespread exposure to scams and falling confidence in data privacy. AI may help scammers scale and personalize familiar tactics, but the survey does not show AI caused the exposure rate.
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Nine in 10 Americans have faced at least one digital scam or cyberattack, according to findings reported by Consumer Reports, Aspen Digital and the Global Cyber Alliance in 2026. The figures suggest that digital threats are widespread, while confidence in the protection of sensitive personal data has fallen. They do not show that AI caused the reported exposure—but Consumer Reports says AI can make scams easier to produce, personalize and send at scale.

What the 2026 findings say about exposure and privacy

Consumer Reports’ 2026 findings distinguish between having encountered a digital threat and feeling confident that personal information is protected. The reported figures are:

Measure Reported result
Americans who had faced at least one digital scam or cyberattack 9 in 10, reported in 2026 by Consumer Reports, Aspen Digital and the Global Cyber Alliance
US adults not at all confident that sensitive personal data was protected 29% in 2026, compared with 16% in Consumer Reports’ 2025 annual survey
US adults confident in the privacy of sensitive data 32% in 2026, compared with 48% in Consumer Reports’ 2025 annual survey

The Consumer Reports article reporting these results does not provide the survey sample size, methodology, field dates or weighting. The figures describe reported experience and confidence; they should not be read as a verified count of people whose accounts or devices were compromised.

How AI may change scams—and what the findings do not prove

Consumer Reports CEO Phil Radford described the 9-in-10 finding as affecting “almost everyone we serve” and warned that AI is making fraud “faster, cheaper and more personal.” Consumer Reports policy fellow Stacey Higginbotham said AI can help scammers personalize messages at scale while reducing the effort needed to create and send them.

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That points to AI as an amplifier of familiar tactics: plausible messages can be tailored to recipients, produced in greater volume and sent with less effort. The 2026 survey findings do not establish that AI caused the reported rate of scam or cyberattack exposure, or measure how much AI has changed scam losses.

Which protective habits people reported using

Consumer Reports’ 2026 survey reported these behaviors among respondents:

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Behavior Share reporting it
Checking texts and emails before clicking 69%
Using multifactor authentication 60%
Enabling automatic software updates 48%

These are reported behaviors, not a ranking of which defenses work best or proof that any one measure prevents an attack. They do show that basic account and device precautions are already familiar to many respondents, though not universal.

What you can do to make scams and account takeovers harder

Use strong, unique passwords

Give each account its own strong password. Reusing a password lets someone who obtains it on one service try it on others. A password manager can help generate and store unique credentials if remembering them all would otherwise lead to reuse.

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Turn on multifactor authentication

Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever it is available, especially on email, financial and other important accounts. MFA asks for an additional proof of identity beyond the password, so a stolen password alone may not be enough to sign in. Prefer an authenticator app or security key when a service offers one; otherwise, use the strongest option available to you.

Keep software updates automatic

Enable automatic updates for your operating system, browser and apps where possible. Updates can include security fixes, and installing them reduces the time your devices remain exposed to vulnerabilities that vendors have addressed.

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  • Personal Information Protection: there are 4 pieces of address blocker roller stamps in 2 different sizes, and 5 pieces of 1.5 ml inks, a total of 9 pieces. Mainly applied to hide information such as social security numbers, bank statements, billing addresses, shipping addresses, tax documents and so on, protecting your personal information
  • Re Inking Unlimitedly: the information blocker stamp can cover information of the length about 100 meters. And each security stamper roller has an oil hole, so you don't have to worry about you having to throw away the roller stamps when the ink runs out. They can be refilled with oil for repeated use, saving time and energy
  • Cover Fast: our identity protection rollers come in 2 different sizes, and you can choose different sizes according to different areas of information to cover large amounts of private information in a fast and clean way, avoiding identity theft and rejecting privacy disclosure harassment
  • Easy to Use: just remove the lid on the ID stamp blocker roller and open it, and then gently slide it on the place where the information needs to be covered. It is suitable for most ordinary paper with black words, and can protect your personal privacy in time
  • Save Time and Energy: compared with the shredder, the personal confidential stamp has a small size, easy to carry, can be applied anytime and anywhere. Compared to the marker, it covers a larger area and can be quickly covered with a single swipe. There is no need to worry about whether you can not protect your privacy in time

Pause before responding to unexpected messages

Check texts and emails before clicking links, opening attachments or sharing information. A message that sounds personal or convincing is not necessarily genuine: AI can make tailored wording easier to produce. If a message claims to come from a company, bank or person you know, verify it through a contact method you find independently rather than relying on the link or number in the message.

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How these survey figures compare with reported cybercrime losses

The FBI’s 2026 annual Internet Crime Report summary says Americans reported nearly $21 billion in losses from cyber-enabled crime and filed 1,008,597 complaints. People over 60 reported approximately $7.7 billion in losses. These are figures from reported complaints and losses; they measure something different from the Consumer Reports survey’s estimate of how many people had faced a scam or cyberattack. They should not be added together or treated as equivalent measures.

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Mimorou 4 Pack ID Security Roller Stamps, 5 Inks, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green
  • Personal Information Protection: there are 4 pieces of address blocker roller stamps in 2 different sizes, and 5 pieces of 1.5 ml inks, a total of 9 pieces. Mainly applied to hide information such as social security numbers, bank statements, billing addresses, shipping addresses, tax documents and so on, protecting your personal information
  • Re Inking Unlimitedly: the information blocker stamp can cover information of the length about 100 meters. And each security stamper roller has an oil hole, so you don't have to worry about you having to throw away the roller stamps when the ink runs out. They can be refilled with oil for repeated use, saving time and energy
  • Cover Fast: our identity protection rollers come in 2 different sizes, and you can choose different sizes according to different areas of information to cover large amounts of private information in a fast and clean way, avoiding identity theft and rejecting privacy disclosure harassment
  • Easy to Use: just remove the lid on the ID stamp blocker roller and open it, and then gently slide it on the place where the information needs to be covered. It is suitable for most ordinary paper with black words, and can protect your personal privacy in time
  • Save Time and Energy: compared with the shredder, the personal confidential stamp has a small size, easy to carry, can be applied anytime and anywhere. Compared to the marker, it covers a larger area and can be quickly covered with a single swipe. There is no need to worry about whether you can not protect your privacy in time

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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