Scammers are getting smarter about where they target you
Malwarebytes data shows scammers tailor fraud by platform: 90% of toll scams arrive via email/SMS and MrBeast is now the most impersonated person.
Malwarebytes threat research analyzed global scam data from April 15 to July 14, 2026, across more than 20 scam types, finding each type favors a specific channel such as email, SMS, phone, or social media. Roughly nine in ten toll scams arrive by email or text, about half of IRS scams come by phone, and MrBeast is impersonated in about 30% of impersonation scams. The most impersonated brands are Google, Microsoft, Apple, Roblox, and Amazon, and Malwarebytes blocks around 500,000 phishing websites daily. Gaming scams on Roblox, Steam, Discord, and Minecraft increasingly carry losses of $1,000 or more, with 15-19% activity spikes in mid-2026.
Crypto customers targeted by scammers after email marketing provider breach
Attackers exploited a Brevo SAML SSO flaw to access 138 accounts and phish crypto customers of Trezor, CoinTracking, and BitBox.
An attacker exploited a flaw in Brevo's SAML SSO handling to access 138 customer accounts on September 10; six accounts were used to send phishing emails and contacts were exported from 43 accounts. Crypto firms Trezor, CoinTracking, and BitBox confirmed customers received phishing emails, with Trezor warning roughly 347,000 newsletter subscribers. The Trezor-themed email cited a fabricated STM32 microcontroller entropy bug and urged recipients to enter wallet backups through a malicious link. Exported contact lists could fuel future targeted phishing attacks.
Flirty OnlyFans promoters on X may be using AI to appear human
Developer Álvaro Martínez Majado found OnlyFans-promoting accounts on X following rigid scripts yet handling encoded instructions, suggesting generative AI use.
Investigation of flirty X accounts promoting OnlyFans pages showed near-identical openers across accounts plus dynamic behaviors: answering a hexadecimal-encoded instruction with "Pineapple" and failing an exact 12-character count test in an LLM-like pattern. The accounts also sent personalized voice notes reading supplied timestamps and usernames, consistent with automated text-to-speech. Evidence suggests a hybrid scripted/AI system, though no model, provider, or operator was identified.
Tech support scams look different now. Here’s what to watch for
Malwarebytes warns tech support scammers now abuse sponsored search results, fake listings, calendar invites, and Apple Pay notifications, and shares red flags for impersonation scams.
Malwarebytes describes how tech support scams have expanded beyond browser locks and fake virus warnings to sponsored search results, hijacked on-site searches, fake platform listings, renewal scams, fake calendar invites, and Apple Pay notifications. Scammers impersonate trusted security companies including Malwarebytes, seeking payment, personal information, or remote access to victims' computers. Malwarebytes notes it does not outsource support, never makes unsolicited calls, and works with the FTC and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance to combat these scams.
Android malware creates a hidden copy of your banking app
Group-IB found the Gigabud Android banking trojan clones banking apps into a hidden work profile to conduct fraud undetected.
Group-IB researchers found the Gigabud Android banking trojan installs Vwork, a trojanized version of the open-source Shelter app, to create a separate Android work profile and clone the victim's banking app into it. The operator then performs fraudulent transactions from the cloned app, separating risky activity from malware detections in the personal profile and potentially bypassing bank-side anti-fraud checks. Victims are lured into sideloading fake airline, tax, or government apps via phishing sites and messages, then grant Accessibility, overlay, and battery-optimization permissions that enable remote control and credential-theft overlays. Malwarebytes detects Gigabud components under multiple Android.Trojan.Banker signatures.
X Money rollout linked to password-reset attacks
X is investigating bulk unsolicited password-reset emails as its X Money payments service expands, with no confirmed breaches or account takeovers yet.
X users began reporting unexpected password-reset emails and codes on September 1, and product engineer Mridul Singhai said attackers appear to believe newly widespread X Money access makes accounts worth targeting. X says it has found no evidence of any breach or successful account takeover, and completing a reset still requires access to the account's email or phone number. X Money offers eligible US users interest-bearing accounts, a Visa debit card, and P2P payments, with Cross River Bank providing banking infrastructure. Malwarebytes warns the reset flood can serve as cover for phishing and urges reset protection, 2FA, and unique passwords.
Grindr settles HIV status data-sharing lawsuit for $35 million
Grindr agreed to pay about $35 million to settle a UK privacy suit alleging it shared users' HIV status and sensitive data with advertisers without consent.
The claim, brought by London firm Austen Hays on behalf of roughly 12,000 UK users, alleges Grindr breached privacy and data-protection laws during a period ending in early 2020, when it was owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech. Shared data may have included ethnicity, HIV status, last HIV test date, and PrEP use. Per an SEC filing, Grindr will make two payments of £13 million (totaling about $35 million), one by December 31, 2026 and one by March 31, 2027, without admitting liability. The settlement follows a Norwegian Data Protection Authority enforcement finding over ad sharing without a valid legal basis.
Revolut gave customer IDs and financial data to a government impostor
Revolut handed customer IDs, selfies, and financial records to criminals using a legitimate government agency email domain.
Revolut acknowledged disclosing sensitive customer records after accepting fraudulent information requests sent from an email address on a legitimate government agency domain, describing it as an external impersonation scam rather than a system intrusion. The London-based fintech, which serves more than 80 million customers globally, says customer funds were not affected and only a 'very limited' number of customers were impacted. Disclosed data includes identity and contact information, copies of passports and driver's licenses, verification selfies, account statements, and transaction histories. Revolut blocked the sending address and notified the relevant agency, law enforcement, data protection authorities, and financial regulators.
More than 100,000 fake stores are out to steal your card details
Researchers uncovered DoppelCart, a network of roughly 119,000 cloned fake shops that harvest card details and one-time bank codes during checkout.
Researchers at German firm Nebty identified 118,787 .shop domains tied to cloned online stores, representing 2.72% of the TLD population examined and described as the largest publicly documented fake-shop network by domain count. The shops mimic more than 44,000 brands, advertise discounts up to 65%, and 96% of confirmed shops reportedly share identical build files using just 27 ecommerce backends. Fraudulent checkout pages send card numbers, CVVs, billing data and bank one-time confirmation codes to attacker-controlled servers in real time over WebSockets, allowing criminals to complete payments while victims are still checking out.
Search results are sending people to fake Bitrefill checkouts
Scam sites impersonating Bitrefill's crypto checkout appear in search results, tricking victims into sending up to $1,990 in crypto directly to scammers.
Malwarebytes documents a cluster of lookalike domains copying Bitrefill's gift card checkout, surfaced via search engine results rather than email. Victims choose an amount up to $1,990 and pay in Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, USDT, Solana, or Litecoin to scammer-controlled addresses, with no recourse since crypto payments are irreversible. Domains use typosquatting and Punycode/IDN homoglyph tricks, and the fake sites run commercial analytics software to measure and optimize victim conversion. Bitrefill's security team is working with takedown specialists to remove the sites.
Fake GTA 6 leaked copy drains your crypto wallet
A fake GTA 6 leaked-copy website loads a multi-chain crypto wallet drainer that sweeps Solana balances and can steal assets across seven blockchain networks.
A fake Grand Theft Auto VI countdown site offers a supposed leaked copy for $50 or 1 SOL and loads a wallet drainer on page visit. An embedded Solana script transfers nearly the entire wallet balance, while a separate 2.4 MB script built on a legitimate wallet-connector tool targets wallets on Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Base, and Fantom, including stablecoins and NFT collections. The drainer geo-blocks CIS countries via a CIS_Protection setting, profiles visitor holdings, and evades automated scanners, suggesting a rented drainer-as-a-service.
StreamRat Android malware spreads through Meta and TikTok ads
Malwarebytes reports StreamRat Android banking trojan spread via Meta and TikTok ads reaching roughly 570,000 users, mostly in Spain.
Malwarebytes researchers uncovered a malicious advertising campaign on Meta and TikTok promoting a fake free TV-streaming service that delivered the StreamRat Android banking trojan and infostealer. The ads, aimed at Spanish-speaking users with most victims in Spain, reached approximately 570,000 Meta users in a campaign running June 11 through July 3, 2026. The download site detected Android devices and the referral source, then coached users through sideloading steps including enabling installs from unknown sources. StreamRat can monitor the screen, capture typed credentials, display fake login screens, and give attackers remote control, including black-screen and fake Android update overlays.
Scammers have figured out the best time to text you
Malwarebytes threat data shows scammers tailor platforms per scam, with the web as top channel, Friday midday peaks, and MrBeast the most impersonated person.
Malwarebytes analyzed its threat data from April 15 to July 14, 2026 across more than 20 scam categories, finding scammers match platforms to scam types: job scams via email, romance scams via social media, and tech support scams via phone. The web is the top delivery channel ahead of email and SMS, and Malwarebytes says it blocks about 500,000 phishing sites a day. Scam texts peak at 12:00 pm ET, roughly 874% above the quietest hour, with volume peaking on Fridays about 50% higher than the start of the week. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) appears in about 30% of impersonation scams, and the most impersonated brands are Google, Microsoft, Apple, Roblox and Amazon.