AI has become the new weapon for cyber criminals after an alarming rise in AI-generated phishing sites and scam text messages according to a report from Gen – the company behind internet security brand Norton.
Gen’s Q3 Threat Report shows Australians are facing a new wave of scams and malware that have been optimised by AI.
ACCC’s Scamwatch says Australians have already lost $259 million to scams this year.
Australians are faced with AI-written texts and emails, cloned voices and fake customer service chats.
In Q3, Australians have seen a 1,264 per cent increase in invoice scams, 60 per cent increase in tech support scams and malware activity rising by 58 per cent as scammers tried to harvest personal and financial information.
Gen’s report also highlighted the fact that cyber criminals have set up AI “phishing factories” which allows them to mass produce realistic brand look-alike websites in a matter of minutes, impersonate customer support conversations and create industrial scale deceptions with slick texts and emails.
“AI has changed the scale and speed of cybercrime,” said Siggi Stefnisson, Cyber Safety CTO at Gen.
“It is being used to mass-produce scams, tailor ransomware, and target people with precision we have never seen before.
“Our mission is to stay one step ahead, using AI for protection rather than deception, and to bring real-time defence to every moment people live and work online.”
Since January 2025, Gen has blocked more than 140,000 AI generated scam sites globally with the US, France, Brazil and Germany the most targeted nations.
Typically a scam would start with a fake delivery or payment message that will lead to a look-alike website asking for card details.
Gen brands can protect consumers and businesses through products like Norton Scam Protection which is included as part of the Norton 360 line-up.
