Tech and Security – Gen Threat Report Reveals Rise in Crypto, Sextortion and Tech Support Scams in an AI-Powered World

Source: Gen

Gen in New Zealand tracks 77,721% rise in crypto scams, 170% spike in sextortion scams, and 278% increase in malicious push notifications

Auckland, 31 July 2025 – Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more, today released its Q2/2025 Gen Threat Report. This quarter was marked by the takedown of the first known ransomware developed using AI, and globally, a 21% growth in data breaches and a 340% increase in financial scams. The team of Gen researchers also found a 100% increase in sextortion scams and a surge in Tech Support Scams spreading through Facebook.

New Zealand’s top threats in Q2/2025 were:

·        Malvertising

·        Scams (phishing, generic scams, E-shop scams, dating scams)

“This quarter’s global tr