e-commerce
Clickbait or click safe? McAfee warns of AI-fuelled scam storm this Prime Day
MUMBAI: As India gears up to shop till it drops during Prime Day 2025, McAfee’s Global Prime Day Scams Study is throwing cold water on the online frenzy. With 96 per cent of Indians saying they’ll hit digital carts this year, scammers are salivating and they’ve got AI-powered cons in their arsenal.
From over 36,000 fake Amazon websites to 75,000 scam texts impersonating delivery updates or refund alerts, McAfee Labs says cybercriminals are using deepfakes and urgency tactics to trick even the savviest shoppers.
The report reveals a sobering stat: 71 per cent of Indians are more worried about AI-generated scams now than ever. And rightly so 80 per cent of scam victims reported losing over Rs 40,000, with young shoppers (18–24) being the most frequent targets, especially on social media.
“Indian shoppers, who embrace online deals and social platforms, are increasingly falling prey to scams driven by urgency and persuasion,” said McAfee senior director of engineering, Pratim Mukherjee. “Prime Day is a time of excitement for Indian shoppers, but it has also become a prime target for scammers using AI to create hyper-personalized, convincing attacks that push people to click before they think. While many shoppers are taking precautions, the rise of AI-powered scams makes it more important than ever to stay vigilant.”
Scammers are going high-tech, using deepfakes of influencers and celebrities, as well as flashy social media ads from dodgy “brands” offering too-good-to-be-true deals. One in five victims didn’t even report their losses, citing embarrassment and psychological distress, a stark reminder that online fraud cuts deeper than just wallets.
And the fear is changing habits: 33 per cent of Indians say scam anxiety has made them abandon a purchase, and 27 per cent plan to shop less during Prime Day altogether.
But there’s hope. Nearly half of all shoppers (49 per cent) said they’d consider using a scam detection tool to keep fraudsters at bay. As India barrels into an era of digital-first retail, the message is clear. Click with caution, and think before you tap.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
