Avast debuts Scam Guardian and Scam Guardian Pro as data breaches and scams soar
Driven by a commitment to make cutting-edge scam protection available to everyone, Avast, a leader in digital security and privacy and part of Gen, has unveiled Scam Guardian, a new AI-powered offering integrated into its award-winning Avast Free Antivirus.
Cybercriminals continue to abuse AI to craft increasingly convincing scam attacks at an alarming rate. Available at no cost, the new service marks a significant step forward in democratizing AI scam protection. A premium version, Scam Guardian Pro, has also been added to Avast Premium Security, giving customers an enhanced layer of AI protection against email scams.
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“Today’s scams aren’t crude or obvious – they’re tailored, targeted, and AI-enhanced, making it harder than ever to tell the difference between truth and deception,” said Leena Elias, Chief Product Officer at Gen. “As scammers take advantage of rising data breaches and leaked personal information, anyone anywhere can become a victim of scams. That’s why it’s never been more important to make powerful AI-powered scam protection available to everyone, everywhere. We’re levelling the playing field with world class scam defense that helps people strengthen their digital and financial safety.”
According to the recent Q1/2025 Gen Threat Report, breached records of individuals surged by more than 186% between January and March 2025, revealing sensitive information such as passwords, emails, and credit card details. Over the same timeframe, reports of phishing scams rose by 466% compared to the previous quarter, making up almost a third of all scam submissions observed by Gen.
As data breaches rise, so do the opportunities for attackers to exploit leaked information to launch targeted, hyper-personalized scam campaigns that are harder than ever to spot. Like a seasoned scam investigator, Scam Guardian uses proprietary AI trained on scam data from Gen Threat Labs to go beyond just detecting malicious URLs—it also analyzes context and language to more effectively identify signs of deceptive or harmful intent. Scam Guardian also helps to pull back the curtain on hidden threats in website code and neutralizes them to keep people safer as they browse and shop online.
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Key features available in Scam Guardian for Avast Free Antivirus, include:
- Avast Assistant: Provides 24/7 AI-powered scam protection guidance on suspicious websites, SMS messages, emails, links, offers, and more. Allows people to engage in open dialogue when they’re unsure about a potential scam and uses natural language to better understand queries and deliver clear advice on what to do next. Available on Windows and Mac.
- Web Guard: Uses the collective power of Gen Threat Labs telemetry and AI trained on millions of frequently visited websites to continuously analyze and detect hidden scams in content and code – offering unique visibility into dangerous URLs. Available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS2.
Scam Guardian Pro includes everything in Avast Scam Guardian, plus:
- Email Guard: Uses AI to understand the context of emails and the meaning of words to detect scams. Scans and flags safe and suspicious emails before you open them, helping to protect your email wherever you check it, no matter what device you use to log in. Available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Scam Guardian and Scam Guardian Pro are available to download now as part of Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security. Later this year, additional AI-powered tools will be added to Scam Guardian Pro for greater protection against sophisticated scams targeting other communication channels, including SMS and phone calls.
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