As technology becomes more sophisticated, the risk of being fooled by a convincing scam grows. But Norton has unveiled a new tool that it says can alert you to possible fraud before you become a victim of it.
Norton Genie — available for free as an iOS app and for use in browsers — harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan emails, text messages, websites and social media posts to look for the telltale signs of a scam.
Specifically, CNET reports, Norton Genie compares “the contents of an email or text to the millions of samples collected by Norton’s consumer antivirus software and other cybersecurity operations.”
According to Norton:
“Just upload a screenshot, or copy and paste the text message, social media post, email, or website you want checked. Know in seconds if it could be a scam. Genie can also answer any scam questions you have plus give you tips on what to do next.”
Other services perform similar services, but not in real time, CNET reports.
CNET writer Bree Fowler was allowed to use the app a few days before its release. Fowler writes that Norton Genie correctly flagged a text that falsely claimed her debit card had been locked. It also caught other fraudulent messages that supposedly came from the Social Security Administration and a top provider of antivirus software.
Meanwhile, Norton Genie correctly identified legitimate messages from Amazon, Google and Starbucks.
Fowler writes:
“Like a lot of pre-release apps and software, it’s a little slow and buggy, but it largely got things right.”
A Norton product manager told Fowler the software will get even better as it “learns” from samples of scams that users submit to the tool.
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