Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we live and work. Unfortunately, it’s also revolutionizing the way scammers play their games. Here’s what you need to know about AI fraud and how to protect yourself.
What is AI fraud?
AI fraud is using artificial intelligence to deceive or defraud individuals or organizations. When using AI to pull off a scam, fraudsters use algorithms to create convincing fake identities, manipulate social media, generate realistic counterfeit images and videos (AKA “deepfakes”), and more.
The scammers then create fake social media profiles and email addresses using these bogus identities and footage. Often, they pretend to represent celebrities to solicit money and information. Similarly, they may create fake websites or emails that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as financial institutions or government agencies, and ask people to provide their personal information or login credentials.
AI fraud comes in several forms, including:
- Phishing
- ID theft
- Deepfakes
- Fake news
- Social engineering
- Chatbot scams
Red flags
Are you being targeted by AI fraud? Look out for these red flags:
- Multiple unsolicited emails or text messages
- Asked to provide personal info or login credentials by an unverified contact
- Unusual activity on your social media accounts
If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to investigate. If the contact claims to represent a government agency or financial institution, do not engage. Locate contact information for the agency that supposedly contacted you, and use that verified contact information to reach out to the agency and ask if the communication is legit.
Protect yourself
- Never share sensitive info with an unverified contact.
- Go directly to the sites you need to visit – NEVER click on links in emails.
- Check the URL of any Web page you visit to ensure it’s the real site – a slight typo could land you on a spoofed website that looks like the real company website
- Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts.
- Keep your device security set to its highest/strongest setting.
- Use updated antivirus software.
If you’ve been targeted
If you suspect you’ve been the victim of AI fraud, act quickly to mitigate damage. First, contact San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union at 352-588-2732 to let us know your information has been compromised. Similarly, reach out to your credit card companies to let them know about the fraud. Next, report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) so they can take appropriate measures to catch the people behind the bot-generated scam. You’ll also want to change your passwords and consider a credit freeze. Finally, if your identity has been stolen, visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website to learn about next steps, like creating an identity theft recovery plan.
Stay safe online.