The rise of AI phone scams has brought personal targeting to a whole new level.
Scammers are using AI-created fake texts (smishing) or even AI -created cloned voices of social media users.
It has already found its way to New Zealand shores – New AI combats text scams that cost Kiwis $263,499 in six months | Stuff.co.nz
The rise of AI phone scams has brought personal targeting to a whole new level.
Scammers are using AI-created fake texts (smishing) or even AI -created cloned voices of social media users.
It’s already found its way to New Zealand shores – New AI combats text scams that cost Kiwis $263,499 in six months | Stuff.co.nz
Scamming the Family
They call their targets’ parents, pretending to be in distress and desperately in need of money.
Impersonation scams, like these, have become the most prevalent form of fraud in the US. In fact, Americans lost a staggering $2.6 billion to these scams in 2022 alone, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Even worse, the scammers are now using AI to clone the voice of family members to make the “emergency” sound even more convincing. They simply want to manipulate victims into believing that there is an immediate, urgent danger, exploiting their emotions to create pressure and overcome any natural caution.
Refer:
Scamming transactions
AI is helping scammers target people based on publicly available data, with specific text scams allegedly from your bank, a delivery comapany or government department like NZTA.
One woman reports it cost her $42,000!
Another, allegedly Chinese based, focussed on package delivery
Likewise the fake car registration renewals, driver license renewals or toll payments – and what’s got me surprised with these is how they matchup sometimes with a genuine trip!
Be careful – this is happening on your phone – your personal phone. It is happening to your friends and your family members!