Check out this YouTube video generated by artificial intelligence to get a better understanding of how persuasive future scams will be. Scammers now have access to impressive artificial intelligence-based tools. They will use these tools to create high quality scams that you’ll receive via email, online or over the phone.
In the past we used to be able to easily identify scam emails because they often contained spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and poor formatting. Today’s AI tools can be used to proof-read and fix such emails. The tools can also be used to generate a professional sounding email from scratch. It will become tougher to detect bogus emails from the content. Instead, you’ll need to make sure you know how to check the From address. And, if you run your own business, make sure you setup SPF and DKIM records in your DNS records to make it easier for email servers to prevent scammers from impersonating you via email. You can use Mail Tester to see if you have these records setup.
ElevenLabs and other companies have artificial intelligence tools that can generate an impressive clone of a person’s voice. Reportedly, scammers only need a 3 second sample of a person’s voice to generate an impressive clone. The scammer might be able to trick you into thinking that they have kidnapped a loved-one and try to extort you to pay a ransom. This is not hypothetical. Earlier this year, one of my clients was the victim of this type of crime. My client asked the scammers to put her loved one on the phone as proof that they had, in fact, kidnapped her. The scammers were able to type the words that they want the supposedly kidnapped person to say. How will you protect yourself from this sort of trick? Maybe your family should establish a secret question and answer pair that you can use to verify that a voice you year is really your family member.
How can we protect ourselves and our computers against this sort of threat? While there are security measures that can be implemented on the computer itself, the security of one’s computer largely depends on the savviness of the user. In other words, you are likely the weakest link in the security of your computer since humans can be tricked into divulging personal data or giving a complete stranger remote access to your computer. The solution to this is to become more savvy, to increase your street smarts. Here are a couple of suggestions about how to be savvy about these sorts of scams.
These scams will often try to create an emotional reaction and get you to act quickly. Do your best to be aware of your emotional reaction and take a step back. Take your time. Take a breath. Don’t take action and don’t call any phone numbers until you double-check with someone you trust. This could be your spouse or roommate or your computer consultant.