Sniff Out AI Scams and Stay Cybersecure

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global initiative that raises awareness about online safety. A major part of internet safety is keeping up with the trends and methods scammers use to take advantage of personal information and finances. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a helpful tool but can also be a malicious method fraudsters use to their advantage.

Learn how to identify when a call, video or email is produced using AI to defend yourself against scammers and stay cybersecure:

Calls: AI can be used to create convincing cloned voices on calls, impersonating a boss, celebrity, trusted family member or friend. The cloned voice might target you directly by cloning a family member or friend’s voice from a social media video. To distinguish a legitimate call from a fraudulent one, keep these red flags in mind:

1. High emotions: The caller might be highly emotional or crying, creating urgency and making it harder for you to think clearly before acting.
2. Urgent requests: The cloned voice will often claim there’s an emergency – a car accident, arrest or medical crisis – and pressure you to send money or gift cards immediately.
3. Odd phrasing and robotic pauses: Pay attention to phrases and word choices that seem slightly off, or for brief, unnatural pauses in speech.
4. Pressure for secrecy: Rarely in a legitimate emergency will a loved one pressure you to keep the call secret.

Videos: AI-generated videos, called deepfakes, can convincingly swap faces, mimic mannerisms, and sync speech to a real person in your life. Deepfakes are often used to manipulate you and scam you out of money, which is why you should look closely at these warning signs:

1. Unnatural facial movements: Look for stiff, robotic expressions, unnatural blinking and mismatched voice to lip movement.
2. Inconsistent lighting and shadows: Scammers can struggle to make the lighting look natural, so be on the lookout for misplaced shadows or the lack thereof.
3. Unverifiable source: Check to see if the video was posted on an official, verified account before trusting its content.

Emails: AI has made phishing emails difficult to detect, eliminating awkward grammar and spelling mistakes that once made these scams easier to spot. Fraudsters can now generate emails that closely

mimic a company’s tone, branding, and even a specific person’s writing style. To determine whether an email is legitimate, keep these key details in mind:

1. Unexpected urgency: Emails demanding immediate action for account verification or a “failed payment” are never a good sign and are designed to make you react before thinking.
2. Requests for sensitive information: Legitimate companies and organizations will rarely ask you to confirm passwords, account numbers, or Social Security number via email.
3. Incorrect branding: AI-generated phishing emails are convincing, but look closely for inconsistent logos, colors and formatting.

These tips are provided by the Iowa Bankers Association