Here's the pattern.

You get a text, WhatsApp message, or social media DM wishing you a Happy New Year. Maybe it's from an unknown number. Maybe it looks like it came from someone you know.

The message includes a link. "Click here to see your personalized greeting!" Or "Watch this New Year video I made for you!"

The link takes you to a site designed to steal your login credentials, financial details, or install malware on your device.

These messages are going out in bulk right now. They blend in with all the genuine holiday wishes flooding your phone.

What to do: If you get a greeting with a link from someone you don't recognize, don't click. If it's from someone you do know but the message feels off, reach out to them directly and ask if they sent it.

AARP's fraud expert used that phrase to describe what AI has done for scammers. Here's what it means in plain terms.

Before AI, scammers had to work harder. Spelling mistakes gave them away. Robotic voices were obvious. Fake emails looked fake.

Now? AI can write perfect grammar. Clone voices from a few seconds of audio. Generate professional-looking websites in minutes. Create deepfake videos of celebrities endorsing fake products.

The old advice to "look for typos" doesn't work anymore.

The new rule: If a message creates urgency or asks you to click, call, or pay, pause. Verify independently. Use a tool like ScamRank to check before you act.

That's how you stay ahead.

We've been building something to help.

ScamRank is now live at scamrank.com.

It's simple. Paste any text, email, or message into ScamRank. Or upload a screenshot. You get a clear Trust Signal: green, yellow, or red. Plus a plain-English explanation of what we found.

No guessing. No frantic Googling. Just clarity.

Here's how to try it:

Free: Check up to 3 messages a month. Enough to verify the suspicious stuff when it shows up.

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The Better Business Bureau reported that over half of US consumers were targeted by scams in 2025.

Let that sink in. More than half.

The FBI says criminals used artificial intelligence this year to generate realistic voices, emails, and messages to impersonate relatives, banks, and government agencies. AARP's fraud prevention director called it an "industrial revolution for fraud criminals."

The scams that worked best weren't the obvious ones. They were the ones that blended into normal life. Fake delivery texts when everyone's waiting for packages. Look-alike retail sites promising deals. AI-generated "family emergency" calls with cloned voices.

Going into 2026, authorities expect these techniques to expand and become harder to detect.

That’s why having ScamRank to help you, or your loved ones, detect if something may be a scam ahead of clicking that link is so important. You can get 3 scans a month for free. Check it out here: https://www.scamrank.com/