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The new 'supercharged' scam threat that every Aussie needs to know about AI now being used to enhance phishing scam READ MORE: Australia Post customers warned about new 'Dracula' scam texts By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 13:05 GMT, 9 November 2025 | Updated: 13:05 GMT, 9 November 2025 A 'supercharged' scam threat is about to take Australia by storm, an AI expert has warned, with over one million people expected to be targeted. Research by software development company Airteam has revealed that AI-enhanced phishing attacks could affect up to 1.18million people in the next 12 months, marking a 372 per cent rise on the 250,000 Australians scammed in 2024. Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals pretend to be trustworthy entities, often via email, text message, or fake websites, to trick people into sharing sensitive information such as passwords, bank details, or credit card numbers. A recent Microsoft report showed AI-automated phishing emails achieved a 54 per cent click-through rate compared to just 12 per cent for standard attempts, making them nearly five times more effective. The technology features sophisticated lures that even savvy internet users struggle to identify, and subsequently can prove up to 50 times more profitable. 'It's frightening, it really is frightening,' AI expert Natalie Ashes told Daily Mail. 'Everyone needs to be on their toes. It's coming and we need to be prepared. 'I really worry about older Australians, I worry for them because it happens so quickly and this stuff is really hard to identify.' AI-automated phishing are much more effective and are set to scam many in the next year AI expert Natalie Ashes says Aussies will need to be more waery of online scams thanks to AI In 2024, 147 phishing breaches were reported by large Australian organisations, the highest number in five years. The surge coincides with AI's growth. 'Al has improved the quality of it (phishing attacks). Just making tiny changes to subject lines, preview texts, or calls to action can really make significant changes in terms of how these emails perform,' Ms Ashes explained. 'You can really move the needle in terms of performance and when we're talking about scamming, we're talking millions of dollars just by making these tiny changes.' In the first four months of 2025, Australians reported losses of $13.7million to phishing scams, a significant increase from $4.6million in early 2024. Ms Ashes said more people have experienced phishing than they admit. 'Lots of people that I've spoken to over the years have been a victim of it and it's only going to be supercharged now,' she said. 'Two years ago, these were quite generic scams that were going out. Now it says 'Hi Nat, how was your trip? I saw your post' and it feels a lot more like it's coming from a person or business. 'These attackers can even find out what times you wake up in the mornings based on your open rates so it can hit you when you've just unlocked your phone when you're the least distracted.' An extra 930,000 Aussies expected to be scammed in the next year due AI advances He looks like a typical bank worker. Now he's been charged over $150MILLION syndicate allegations Australian Banking Association CEO Simon Birmingham told Daily Mail that all major banks were 'deeply concerned about the rise of AI-powered scams' which were quickly becoming increasingly sophisticated and emotionally manipulative. 'AI is a double-edged sword. While criminals are using new technology to steal people's hard-earned money, banks are using the same tools to strengthen protections, improve detection and stay one step ahead of scammers,' he said. 'Banks provide their staff with ongoing training in fraud detection and scam awareness, which evolves as new technologies and threats emerge. 'Each bank also has specialist fraud teams dedicated to protecting customers, monitoring for suspicious activity, contacting customers when something doesn't look right, and helping those who may have been impacted by a scam.' Ms Ashes fears for small and medium-sized businesses along with older Australians expected to make up a large part of the additional 930,000 scam victims in 2026. She gave Daily Mail her top three tips to avoid being scammed online. 1. Pause, don't tap If it's unexpected or urgent, slow down… no quick-pay links, open your bank or service app directly instead. 2. Ring a caller back on a verified number If money or data is involved, do not provide this on an incoming call, ring the company on the number on their website or your card, not the one in the message. 3. Assume anyone can be fooled Treat every email as suspicious. Use strong logins like passkeys, and keep less personal info public (private Facebook profiles) so scammers have less to mimic. Daily Mail has contacted the Commonwealth Bank, the NAB, ANZ, and Westpac, as well as the National Anti-Scam Centre for comment. Share or comment on this article: The new 'supercharged' scam threat that every Aussie needs to know about Add comment
