Malwarebytes data shows scam texts peak at noon and Friday

Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes reports that fraudulent text messages targeting Americans reached their highest volume around 12 p.m. ET, a time when activity was 874% higher than the quietest hour observed at 1 a.m. ET. The company analyzed global threat data collected between April 15 and July 14, 2026, to track more than 20 scam categories and determine how criminals select their timing and platforms.

The data indicates that scam text volume generally increased as the work week progressed. Friday emerged as the peak day for fraudulent texts, with recipients receiving roughly 50% more messages than at the beginning of the week. Malwarebytes noted that while researchers cannot confirm the exact reason for the Friday spike, the pattern suggests scammers are deliberately timing campaigns rather than sending messages at random.

Platform selection also varied by scam type. Job scams commonly arrived via email, while romance scams favored social media channels where new conversations feel more natural. Tech support scams frequently initiated contact through phone calls. Despite the prevalence of text-based fraud, the web remained the leading channel for scams in Malwarebytes' data, followed by email and then SMS. The company stated it blocks approximately 500,000 phishing websites daily, many of which impersonate banks, retailers, or government services to harvest login credentials.

Impersonation of public figures and major brands played a significant role in these campaigns. Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, was the most impersonated individual, appearing in about 30% of observed impersonation scams. Elon Musk and Donald Trump followed in frequency. Among brands, Google was the most impersonated name, appearing at least twice as often as Amazon. Other frequently targeted companies included Microsoft, Apple, and Roblox.

Gaming platforms also saw rising scam activity. Roblox, Steam, Discord, and Minecraft were among the most impersonated gaming platforms. Roblox scam activity increased by 15% between mid-June and mid-July, while Steam saw a 19% increase over the same period. Malwarebytes found that about half of the gaming scams analyzed could result in losses of $1,000 or more, often through fake login pages designed to steal passwords.

To mitigate these risks, Malwarebytes advises users to avoid clicking links or calling numbers provided in unsolicited messages. Instead, recipients should independently verify claims by visiting official websites or using company apps directly. Users are also encouraged to report fraudulent messages and change passwords immediately if credentials were entered on suspicious sites.