Artificial Intelligence and Scams

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the technology that gives machines the capability to mimic human thinking or actions, including learning and problem solving. Logic Theorist, the first AI program, was introduced in 1957 and ignited the field of AI research.

While many people think of AI as something from a science fiction movie, it’s a very real thing that plays a significant role in this age of “big data.” The benefits of AI have been felt in industries such as technology, banking, marketing and entertainment. AI helps in driving cars, setting step goals on a smartwatch, recommending songs and shows on streaming services, and creating the most efficient travel routes using a map app.

Unfortunately, scammers have also found ways to twist the benefits of AI for malicious purposes.

Scammers often pull personal information from social media profiles and other online sources. They then use this information together with AI technology to personalize scam texts and emails, making them more convincing and harder to detect as fake.

Scammers can use AI technology and audio data collected online to clone the voice of a child, grandchild or other family member to convince a victim that a loved one is involved in a crisis and needs immediate financial assistance. This could be used in something like a grandparent scam, an emergency scam or a fake kidnapping scam.

Learn to Recognize the General Hallmarks of a Scam

Pressure to act immediately.
Pressure to keep information secret.
Use of scare tactics.
Requests for sensitive or personal information.
Demands for money, typically in a form that is difficult to recover, such as cash, wire transfer, gift card, pay app or cryptocurrency.
Specific instructions on how to make the financial transaction. These may include a demand to stay on the phone line with the caller while making payment arrangements.
An offer that sounds too good to be true.

Protect Yourself From Potential Voice Cloning Scams

Establish a family password and share it with parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren. Impress on family members the importance of keeping the password private among family members only.
Establish security questions that only family members can answer. Be sure to choose questions whose answers are not easily found using social media or internet searches.
Encourage loved ones and relatives on social media to set their pages and profiles to private. This makes it harder for scammers to collect personal information.
Stay calm. Listen for giveaways like the caller using incorrect names or terms of endearment.
Hang up and call the person at a number known to be theirs.
Call another family member who would most likely be able to verify or contradict what the caller is saying.
Don’t trust caller ID. Phone numbers can be spoofed and make it look like the call is coming from someone official like a law enforcement office, hospital or jail.

Have You Been Scammed?

Scammers are not going to make it easy for you to get your money back, but no matter how you paid, the sooner you act, the better. The Federal Trade Commission makes the following recommendations:

If you paid a scammer with a credit or debit card, you may be able to stop the transaction. Contact your credit card company or bank right away. Tell them what happened and ask for a “chargeback” to reverse the charges.
If you paid a scammer with a gift card, prepaid card or cash reload card, contact the company that issued the card right away. Tell them you paid a scammer with the card and ask if they can refund your money. The sooner you contact them, the better the chance they’ll be able to get your money back. Learn more about gift card scams.
Contact Western Union at 1-800-448-1492 or use the Western Union online fraud claim form. Contact MoneyGram at 1-800-926-9400 or complete MoneyGram's Report Fraud form online. If the money hasn't yet gone through to the recipient, you may be able to cancel the transaction and get your money back.
If you paid a scammer using a money transfer app, contact the company behind the app. If the app is linked to a credit card or debit card, contact your credit card company or bank first. See more tips for using peer-to-peer payment systems and apps.
Report it to the authorities. Reporting fraud can lead to more awareness and better education. Contact your local law enforcement authorities if you believe you were a victim of fraud, and report suspected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.FTC.gov.