S.C. Bitdefender SRL is looking to extend its cybersecurity protections beyond traditional malware and viruses with the launch of its new Scam Copilot, which is designed to alert users to online scams and fraud.

The company said Scam Copilot is being integrated into its digital life protection consumer products, which are best known for defending against threats such as malware, credential stealing and data exfiltration.

As with all copilot tools these days, the new offering relies on advanced artificial intelligence algorithms that have been trained to identify both common and not-so-common scams and fraud attempts that are perpetrated against consumers and businesses alike.

Bitdefender says AI is necessary to identify such threats, because the bad actors behind them are reliant on AI technology themselves. Increasingly, they’re leveraging large language models to create and deploy extremely convincing “phishing” messages in multiple languages. What’s more, LLMs allow them to distribute these phishing messages at much greater scale, and more consumers and businesses are falling for them.

A recent report by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance highlighted the problem of online fraud, saying that losses from scams totaled more than $1 trillion in 2023. The report said 78% of almost 50,000 survey respondents had experienced at least one scam attempt in the last 12 months. Moreover, Bitdefender’s own 2024 Consumer Cybersecurity Assessment Report found an increasing number of scams delivered by text messages, affecting almost half of the 7,000 respondents.

To combat these LLM-based scams, Bitdefender’s Scam Copilot proactively monitors any device, including personal computers, tablets and smartphones, in an effort to alert their users to scams and other types of fraudulent activities. It monitors all of the favorite channels used by scammers, including web browsers, emails, messaging apps, text messages, social media and more, leveraging Bitdefender’s real-time global threat intelligence and AI to continuously learn and update itself as new scams and threats emerge.

Scam Copilot provides an advanced chatbot-style experience that allows users to engage with it using their natural language to inquire about any alerts that show up. The chatbot will provide essential guidance to help users stay safe, explain how the scams work and more besides.

It can also alert users to newly emerging and trending scam techniques that are impacting users in their specific region, with an explanation of the nature of the campaign, the delivery methods used and the risks, so they know what to look out for. It also provides additional safeguards for high-risk groups such as seniors, children and teens, Bitdefender said.

In addition, the Scam Copilot will provide more general advice to users and learning resources in order to educate users about how to interact safely online, the company said.

Ciprian Istrate, senior vice president of operations in Bitdefender’s Consumer Solutions Group, said it has become more difficult than ever for consumers to safeguard themselves against online threats. “While the term ‘scam’ may sound innocuous, the consequences are far from trivial, often leading to identity theft, financial and data loss,” Istrate said.

Bitdefender’s Scam Copilot is available now for all Ultimate Security, Ultimate Security Plus, Ultimate Small Business Security and Premium Security customers running Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.

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