Cybercrime Crew Claims It Hacked Mike Lindell’s MyPillow
Trevor Lawrence didn’t actually cut his hair.
But millions of people thought he did.
The Jacksonville Jaguars recently released a viral schedule announcement video that appeared to show their star quarterback chopping off his signature long blond hair. The clip spread quickly online, pulling in nearly 4 million views on X and triggering reactions from fans, friends, and even Lawrence’s grandmother.
The catch? It wasn’t real.
The team later confirmed the moment was partially staged, partially AI-generated and part of the joke. Even Lawrence admitted the fake looked convincing.
And that’s exactly the problem.
What started as a harmless sports prank is also a reminder of how realistic AI-generated videos have become and how easily scammers can use the same technology to fool people online.
Deepfake scams use artificial intelligence to clone someone’s face, voice, or likeness to create fake videos, ads, phone calls, or social media posts that appear real.
And increasingly, scammers are using celebrities, influencers, athletes, and trusted public figures to do it.
According to McAfee research:
Why does it work? Because scammers know familiarity lowers our guard.
When people see a recognizable face, whether it’s Trevor Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Tom Hanks, or a favorite influencer, they’re more likely to trust what they’re seeing before stopping to question it.
The Jaguars video was meant as entertainment.
But scammers are already using the same technology for fraud.
McAfee researchers recently identified a growing wave of celebrity deepfake scams involving fake giveaways, investment schemes, romance scams, and fraudulent ads.
Some recent examples include:
In one high-profile case, a woman reportedly lost nearly $900,000 to scammers impersonating Brad Pitt using AI-generated images and messages.
The technology is getting good enough that “seeing is believing” no longer applies online.
Here are some of the biggest red flags to watch for:
| Red Flag | What to Watch For |
| Emotional urgency | “Act now,” “limited time,” or panic-driven messaging |
| Too-good-to-be-true offers | Free giveaways, investment promises, miracle products |
| Slightly unnatural video details | Off-sync lips, robotic speech, strange blinking, awkward lighting |
| Fake verified-looking accounts | Usernames with extra characters or copied profile photos |
| Requests for money or personal data | Especially through DMs, crypto links, gift cards, or wire transfers |
AI scams are evolving fast, but layered protection can help you stay ahead of them.
McAfee’s Scam Detector, included in all core McAfee plans, can help identify suspicious links, messages, videos, and deepfake-related scams across texts, email, and social platforms before you click.
Additional protections like Web Protection and Identity Monitoring can also help reduce your risk if scammers attempt to steal your credentials or personal information.
Charter Communications confirmed a data breach tied to a third-party vendor, exposing customer information. Whenever breaches like this happen, scammers often follow up with phishing emails and fake customer support calls pretending to help affected users.
Reports surrounding a potential 7-Eleven data breach are circulating online. Consumers should stay alert for fake password reset emails, loyalty account phishing attempts, and scam texts impersonating retailers.
A tragic case tied to an alleged Tom Selleck impersonation scam is drawing attention to the growing threat of celebrity AI fraud. Experts warn that scammers are increasingly using fake celebrity profiles, AI-generated messages, cloned voices, and deepfake videos to build trust with victims online, especially older adults.
The case underscores how emotionally manipulative and financially devastating these scams can become.
Researchers told The Verge that attackers are beginning to manipulate chatbot behavior and personalities to trick users into unsafe actions, highlighting growing concerns around AI trust and social engineering.
A phishing scam making headlines this week uses fake inheritance notices and “unclaimed estate” emails to pressure victims into sharing personal information.
Unlike older scam emails full of spelling mistakes, newer versions look polished and professional, often using legal-sounding language, fake reference numbers, and urgent 48-hour deadlines designed to trigger panic before people stop to verify the message.
The next deepfake won’t always look fake. That’s what makes these scams dangerous.
Here are some practical, go-to tips
And we’ll be back next week with more.
The post Trevor Lawrence’s Viral “Haircut” is a Lesson in Deepfakes: This Week in Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Your Windows PC or Mac already includes built-in security features, and that’s a good thing. These tools provide an important first layer of protection against malware and other common threats users encounter every day.
But today, staying safe online is about much more than blocking viruses.
Scam texts arrive daily. Phishing emails imitate trusted brands. Fake websites are designed to steal passwords and payment information. Personal details can appear on data broker sites. AI Deepfakes are more convincing than ever. And most households use multiple devices, from laptops and phones to tablets and Chromebooks.
That’s why McAfee+ Advanced combines device security with scam protection, identity monitoring, personal info removal, web protection, and secure VPN to help protect the many parts of your digital life.
Let’s break down what built-in security does, and what McAfee does differently:
Both Windows 11 and macOS include a range of built-in security features designed to help protect your device. Depending on your operating system and the apps you use, these may include:
Together, these features provide an important first layer of protection and help many users stay safer online.
Built-in security tools are primarily focused on protecting the device itself. However, today’s online threats often target something even more valuable: your identity, your money, and your personal information.
Recent McAfee research found that Americans receive an average of 14 scam messages every day, and more than three in four have encountered an online scam.
Threats now commonly include:
These risks can follow you across all your devices, not just the computer sitting on your desk.
Here are the key differences between built-in security alone, vs additional protection like McAfee.
| Built-In Security Has | McAfee+ Advanced Adds |
| Detecting viruses and malware | Scam protection for suspicious texts, emails, links, QR codes, and deepfakes |
| Basic privacy controls | Secure VPN to protect your connection on public Wi-Fi |
| Saving passwords | Password manager with unique password generation and storage. |
| Warning about some risky websites | Web Protection to help block dangerous sites before they load |
| Security on one device | Antivirus coverage across your PCs, Macs, phones, and tablets |
| Doesn’t have this support | Identity monitoring, so you know when your SSN and other info is exposed. Plus personal info removal, so your old data isn’t left spread out across the web. |
Unlike the old stereotype that stronger protection means a slower computer, independent testing shows McAfee is also the lightest on performance.
In the latest AV-Comparatives PC Performance Test, McAfee Total Protection posted the lowest system impact score of all 20 products tested: just 3.3, compared with the industry average of 12.8.
It also earned the highest possible rating, ADVANCED+. That means McAfee is not just adding more layers of protection. It is doing so while staying out of your way.
For consumers looking for security that goes beyond basic antivirus to help protect against scams, identity theft, privacy risks, and threats across all their devices, that combination is hard to ignore.
Most people no longer rely on a single computer. A typical household may use:
Managing security separately on every device can be difficult. McAfee+ Advanced is designed to provide coverage across your devices under one subscription, helping simplify online protection for individuals and families.
With McAfee+ Advanced, multiple layers work together before any damage is done:
Together, these protections are designed to address the broader range of online risks people face every day.
Built-in security tools provide an important starting point, but with scam attempts becoming more convincing and personal information more widely exposed, many people need a more comprehensive approach to staying safe online.
McAfee+ Advanced combines device security, scam protection, identity monitoring, privacy tools, and VPN coverage to help you browse, bank, shop, and connect with greater confidence.
The post Do Windows PCs and Macs Need Antivirus Software? How McAfee Goes Beyond Built-In Security appeared first on McAfee Blog.