With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) it’s becoming extremely difficult to spot scam messages, in this blog we discuss this threat and discuss some tips to you safer from AI related scams. Online criminals are using AI-to create highly convincing narratives to deceive unsuspecting victims.
One of the most common uses for AI is text generation, which can be abused to mimic the style and tone of a legitimate message. AI can also be leveraged to create custom messages for phishing emails, even if English is not the first language of the hacker.
Furthermore, it is now possible to misuse AI to generate a voice that sounds like a real person, such as a member of staff at your bank, or a Government official which can be used in telephone scams to make a phone scam call seem even more convincing.
Lisa Webb, Consumer group Which! Scams Expert warns “Fraudsters use any tools at their disposal to target victims and will undoubtedly be looking to take advantage of AI software like GPT-4 to carry out sophisticated scams”.
How can you protect yourself and your business from AI-powered scams?
• Be wary of unsolicited messages, if you receive a message from anyone you don’t know or wouldn’t expect, be cautious. Don’t click on any links or download anything until you know who it’s come from
• Check the sender email address, sometimes they can look really similar to legitimate ones, just with an added letter or character such as [email protected] instead of [email protected]
Consider using a verbal code word or password which you can use to verify that the person you are speaking to on the phone is actually that person and not an hacker using AI – this is especially prudent when verifying any financial payments
• If something seems too good to be true, it probably is! Listen to your instincts and be sceptical of messages offering money or rewards.
By keeping vigilant you can reduce the risk of you or your business falling victim to a scam. For further guidance drop us an email on [email protected]
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The NEBRC is a Police led non-profit organisation that seeks to educate, inform, and support businesses across the UK on how to protect their business online through good cyber security practices.