Have you ever been scrolling along, minding your own business, when an ad suddenly hijacks your page with a full-screen warning about a computer virus or account insecurity? These are invariably scams, but to the untrained eye, they could look like a genuine pop-up from a firewall. Thats why Microsoft Edge is using AI to help users spot when someones trying to frighten them into downloading malware or giving up sensitive information.Available now to all users via a preview, the browsers new Scareware blocker is an AI-based tool for dismissing and navigating away from these troublesome interruptions. While Edges built-in Defender SmartScreen tool already blocks known scams, the idea is for Scareware blocker to help address new threats.The tool uses a local AI model to detect when your browser enters full screen mode, a staple of scareware pop-ups, and then examines what youre looking at to see if it resembles a scam. Its been trained on thousands of sample scams that the scam-fighting community shared with Microsoft, and supposedly doesnt save images or send them to the cloud at any point.While users can manually hold the ESC key to exit full screen mode at any point, the model will do this for you, taking a screenshot of the site and moving you over to a page that warns you that it looks suspicious. Youll then have the option to either close the page or continue.In addition to helping protect users susceptible to scams, Scareware blocker also sets out to reduce some of the panic of coming across one of these ads, as theyll often also play loud noises and hide the mouse cursor. By quickly closing them out and taking you to a warning page, the feature aims to help you regain your senses. Credit: Microsoft While I have encountered these ads before, I wasnt able to summon one up while trying to test out the feature, but its easy enough to enable. Simply navigate to Settings > Privacy Search and Services and scroll down a bit until you see the Scareware blocker toggle. Switch it on, and youll be prepared the next time a scammer tries to scare you into selling yourself out.If you dont see the toggle, its possible you might need to update Edge (in Settings > About Microsoft Edge) or restart the browser.