As criminals use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help produce realistic scams such as fake online shopping sites, cloned voices and realistic fake videos, consumer protection authorities in the UK are urging shoppers to take extra care.
National Trading Standards has published its first list of AI scams to help raise awareness of new methods being used by criminals. Fake online retailers are becoming an increasing problem. These look genuine by appearing to be family run and local in the UK. They may even appear professional with their website design and pictures of UK high streets and union jacks.
However, when ordering from these businesses you could end up with cheap, mass produced items from countries like China.
There are many other ways criminals are targeting consumers. It is easy to create a professional looking website with criminals using AI to clone real businesses. Romance scams are also a common method criminals are using. This allows them to keep track of personal details and have realistic conversations with victims for long periods of time.
Criminals are using voice cloning and deepfake videos to pose as family members or close friends. They may pose as someone you know and ask for immediate financial help. AI can also be used to create highly personalised phishing emails, texts and social media posts, making it hard to tell if they are a scam.
Classic signs of scams may no longer be reliable.
As AI creates highly professional and realistic content, mistakes with spelling and grammar which used to be common in messages from scammers are no longer useful (Which?).
National Trading Standards advises not to send money, gift cards or personal/financial details to people you haven’t met in person.
Always confirm businesses are genuine before purchasing.
This can include checking the address of a retailer is genuine. You can check if a company is authorised to give you financial advice using the Financial Conduct Authority’s Firm Checker. You can also contact employers directly.
Do not assume people are genuine just because you recognise their voice. AI can create realistic audio and video.
The main piece of advice is to stop and think before sending any money, giving out any information or rushing to help with an urgent request. Criminals often try to put pressure on you to get you to act quickly.
Read the original article:
AI Scams: How Criminals Use Deepfakes, Fake Websites and Voice Cloning to Target Consumers