The Advancement of AI Technologies

While looking forward to the exciting advancements and efficiencies AI technology can foster, it’s important to be aware of the challenges it can pose. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have seen an uptick in cybercriminals using AI to enhance their fraud schemes. With crimes ranging from voice and video cloning to sophisticated phishing attacks, the FTC is taking notice and cracking down on these tactics. Here are a few things to look out for:

Developing Technologies

While voice cloning technology has been around for a bit, AI technologies have drastically increased its accuracy. A three second audio clip is all a cybercriminal needs to modify and harness your voice. And with so many people casually posting video content on social media these days, there is a trove of audio to collect.

This tactic isn’t limited to voice only. Deepfakes, an AI tool that uses audio, video and images to create an identical depiction of an individual, have also flooded cyberspace. While it can be fun to reimagine what a past president like Abraham Lincoln acted like, criminals are using these technologies to impersonate family members, customers, business partners, and/or clients alike. Situations like these can lead to financial loss, reputational harm, and potentially compromising sensitive data.

Increasing Accuracy

Criminals using phishing attacks, fraudulent texts, emails, or messages looking to collect your sensitive data or access to your device, have increased in sophistication. Accurate grammar and tailored messaging are improving the likelihood of phishing attacks working, which will lead to data theft. Differentiating a real deal message from a fake is becoming more and more difficult.

Prevention

The FBI recommends staying vigilant!

• Be wary of any messages with urgency asking for money or credentials.
• Verify information by calling the person the caller claims to be on a known phone number.
• Use two factor authentication on all financial accounts. This creates an added layer of security, making it more difficult for criminals to access your account.
• For family, create a passcode or secret phrase to help verbally identify each other when fear of deception is at hand.