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Financial Wellness
Protect Yourself from Criminals Exploiting
Artificial Intelligence to Deceive Victims
The FBI released a warning about troubling misuse of generative artifical intelligence (AI). Criminals are using AI to commit fraud, making their schemes more believable and harder to detect than ever before.
Generative AI learns from examples provided by a user to create new, synthesized content in a variety of formats, such as text, images, audio, or videos. While these technological tools are not illegal, they can be exploited to commit fraud, extortion, and other crimes. AI-generated content reduces typical red flags that often help identify a scam, such as grammatical errors or poor-quality images.
DON’T GET SCAMMED!
CEFCU will never ask you for personal, account, credit card, or Social Security information via text or email.
How Is AI Used to Commit Fraud?
What You Read
Criminals use AI-generated text to make credible schemes.
- Convincing fake social media profiles trick victims into sending money.
- Personalized messages are used for phishing and social engineering attacks to quickly reach a wider audience.
- Language translation tools help international criminals target U.S. victims without noticeable errors.
- Fraudulent websites — including those promoting fake cryptocurrency investments — use embedded AI-powered chatbots to manipulate victims.
What You See
AI tools help criminals produce convincing images to support their schemes.
- Realistic profile photos for bogus social media profiles and romance scams.
- Counterfeit IDs and other types of credentials for impersonation.
- Producing celebrity endorsements for counterfeit products or fake charity campaigns.
- Developing disaster or conflict-related imagery to solicit fraudulent donations.
What You Hear
Vocal cloning enables criminals to mimic voices.
- Impersonating loved ones in emergencies to demand money.
- Accessing bank accounts by mimicking account holders’ voices.
What You Watch
Generated videos add an extra layer of deception.
- Simulated live video calls from fake law enforcement or authority figures.
- Persuasive promotional videos for fraudulent investments.
How to Be Vigilant?
Identifying AI-generated content is challenging. Staying informed is one of the best steps to protect yourself. If a situation seems suspicious or too good to be true, trust your instincts.
- Create a secret word or phrase with family to verify your true identities.
- Look for subtle imperfections in images and videos:
- distorted hands or feet;
- unnatural teeth or eyes;
- blurry or irregular faces;
- uncommon glasses, jewelry, or other accessories; and,
- inaccurate lighting or shadows, watermarks, lag time, voice matching, and unrealistic movements.
- Listen closely for known word choice and tone on calls from loved ones to distinguish between a legitimate person or vocal cloning.
- Limit online content of your image and voice, if possible. It is also recommended to set your social media accounts to private and limit followers to only people you know.
- Verify the identity of the person or company that claims to call you. Do not give any information and hang up. Then, check the contact details and call the phone number you find directly.
- Do not share personal or sensitive information with anyone online or over the phone. And never (ever!) send money, gift cards, checks, wired funds, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone.
Don’t Get Scammed
Fraudsters are constantly evolving their tactics. By staying aware of how AI is manipulated by criminals, you can protect yourself and your finances. To learn more about how to guard against scams, fraud, and identity theft, read our Scam Awareness & Cyber Security articles.
