How to Recognize AI Scams and Protect Yourself from Fraud

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a worldwide effort to promote online safety and protect personal and financial information. As technology advances, scammers continue to develop new ways to deceive individuals and gain access to sensitive information. While artificial intelligence (AI) offers many benefits, cybercriminals can also use it to create convincing scams.

Understanding how to recognize AI-generated phone calls, videos and emails can help you identify suspicious activity and protect yourself from fraud.

Phone Calls: AI technology allows scammers to imitate familiar voices, including those of family members, friends, coworkers or other trusted individuals. Fraudsters may even use audio from social media videos to recreate someone's voice and make their calls seem legitimate. Watch for these warning signs of AI voice cloning scams:

1. Emotional manipulation: Scammers may sound distressed, frightened or upset to create panic and prevent you from thinking clearly.

2. Immediate demands: A caller may claim to be experiencing an emergency, such as an accident, arrest or medical situation, and insist that you send money or gift cards right away.

3. Unusual speech patterns: Listen for unnatural pauses, robotic sounds or phrases that seem out of character for the person speaking.

4. Requests for secrecy: Be cautious if the caller insists that you keep the situation private or discourages you from contacting others to verify their story.

Videos: Artificial intelligence can create realistic-looking videos known as deepfakes, which manipulate facial features, expressions and speech to impersonate real people. Cybercriminals may use these videos to gain your trust, spread false information or convince you to send money. Keep these potential warning signs in mind:

1. Unnatural facial expressions: Watch for unusual blinking, stiff movements or lip movements that don't align with the person's speech.

2. Lighting inconsistencies: Pay attention to shadows, reflections or changes in lighting that appear unrealistic or don't match the surrounding environment.

3. Unverified sources: Before believing or sharing a suspicious video, confirm that it came from an official account or another trustworthy source.

Emails: AI has made phishing scams increasingly sophisticated, allowing fraudsters to create professional-looking messages without the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that previously made fraudulent emails easier to recognize. Scammers can now imitate a company's branding, communication style or even an individual's writing patterns. Look for these common indicators of AI-generated phishing emails:

1. Unexpected urgency: Messages claiming your account needs immediate verification or that a payment has failed may be attempts to pressure you into acting without thinking.

2. Requests for private information: Be suspicious of emails asking you to provide passwords, financial account details or Social Security numbers, especially through unfamiliar links.

3. Inconsistent branding: Examine company logos, colors, email addresses and formatting for subtle differences that may indicate a fraudulent message.

These tips are provided by the Iowa Bankers Association