A McAfee Labs survey of 5,000 Americans found fake account alerts are the most reported scam in 17 states, and toll texts lead in others.
Fake account alerts are the most reported scam in 17 states, including Texas, California and Pennsylvania. That comes from McAfee Labs, which mapped the top scam in every state. The map leaves out investment and crypto scams. Those were the most common text-based scam in 47 of 50 states.
McAfee Labs surveyed 5,000 Americans across all 50 states. It also gathered data on financial losses, worries about AI and trust in digital content. It then compared the answers with text-based scam activity from May to July 2026.
Account alert scams work by pretending to be a real company. An email that seems to come from your bank might say you must log in or your savings account will be frozen. A text might ask you to click a link and download a file.
Check the sender's address. A real PayPal email, for example, comes only from an address ending in paypal.com. A scam may use an unrelated address or one that differs only slightly from what you expect.
Be careful with links too. Scam sites often show up in Google search results, so typing the web address yourself can be safer. A password manager can also help, because its autofill will not work on a fake site.
Toll scams have their own warning signs. Toll operators rarely use text messages to collect tolls. They never use threatening language to push you to pay. Scam texts often come from international numbers and may go to many people at once. A demand for payment by gift card or wire transfer is a clear red flag.
The study also asked Americans how they view digital scams. The text provided cuts off before those results, so they are not covered here. The map reflects the most reported scams by category. It does not say how many people lost money in each state.
Check the sender's real address and type web links yourself, since a scam text or email can look just like your bank.
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