Escalating scam activity and evolving cyber threats are reshaping the consumer risk environment, with new data pointing to widespread exposure, financial loss, and persistent protection gaps across the US.
According to a survey from Iris Powered by Generali, 69% of Americans encountered at least one type of scam in the past 12 months, underscoring the scale and frequency of cyber-enabled fraud. Among adults, 26% reported falling victim, including 8% who experienced multiple incidents.
The types of scams reported reflect a broad and increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. Phone call scams were the most common (36%), followed by phishing emails (31%), phishing text messages (29%), and social media scams (27%). Other incidents included online shopping scams (21%), imposter scams (18%), job scams (14%), direct mail scams (13%), investment scams (10%), and AI or deepfake scams (9%).
Financial and operational impacts remain significant. Among respondents who experienced fraud or identity theft in the past two years, 70% reported financial losses. Of those, 32% lost $500 or more, including 7% who reported losses exceeding $5,000. In addition, 36% said resolving incidents took several days or longer, while 12% reported cases that remain unresolved.
Consumer concern levels reflect this heightened risk environment. Around 64% said they are extremely or very concerned about personal device hacking, while 63% cited compromised passwords and 57% pointed to scams. Half of respondents (50%) expressed concern about theft involving home titles or deeds, and 72% of parents reported concerns about cyberbullying affecting their children.
Emerging risks linked to artificial intelligence are also becoming more prominent. Some 73% of respondents reported concern about malicious AI use, while 9% said they have already experienced AI-related scams. Broader industry data reinforces this trend, with the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 identifying AI as a primary driver of cyber risk, and Google Cloud’s Cybersecurity Forecast 2026 noting increased use of AI by threat actors to scale attacks.
Despite high awareness, a gap persists between perceived and actual preparedness. While 84% of respondents said they feel secure using internet-connected devices, only 29% reported following all recommended cybersecurity practices.
“While many consumers believe they’re staying safe online, our data tells a more complicated picture. We’re seeing a clear and growing disconnect between how secure people feel and the actions they’re taking to protect themselves – whether that be security habits or utilizing protection tools. As cyber threats continue to evolve, bridging this gap will be essential to improving real-world security outcomes,” said Paige Schaffer, CEO of Iris.
Access to protection tools remains uneven, further compounding exposure. While 44% reported access to credit monitoring and 43% to password managers, significantly fewer respondents had access to VPNs (28%), dark web monitoring (23%), fraud resolution services (17%), or scam analysis tools (14%). Notably, the proportion of consumers with no access to identity protection tools rose to 22% in 2026, up from 18% in 2025.
This aligns with broader findings from the World Economic Forum, which highlights growing “cyber inequity” driven by unequal access to cybersecurity resources and expertise.
At the same time, delivery models for protection tools are evolving. The survey found that 80% of respondents would use identity protection services if embedded within platforms they already use, with 38% preferring integrated experiences over standalone tools (18%), while 37% expressed no preference.
“Consumers are telling us they don’t want more tools to manage – they want protection to show up where they already are. By embedding protection into existing digital ecosystems, organizations can remove barriers to adoption and make security part of the everyday experience. That’s exactly what we’ve been focusing on at Iris – simplifying integration so our clients can deliver meaningful protection experiences with as little friction as possible,” said Erik Nienaber, chief technology and product officer at Iris.
The findings are based on an online CARAVAN survey conducted by Big Village from March 2–4, 2026, among 1,015 adults aged 18 and older, with results weighted using US Census Bureau data.
