The FBI warns that cybercriminals have used AI for most types of scams.

Scammers are leveraging the development of AI technology to create massive amounts of highly persuasive fake content, while automating scams to scale their operations. The FBI has identified dozens of ways cybercriminals are misusing AI to further their fraudulent schemes.

"Specifically, generative AI helps shorten the time and reduce the effort criminals need to carry out scams," the FBI emphasized in a public statement. "These tools not only assist in content creation but can also correct human errors that could otherwise be warning signs of fraud."

The use of AI-generated content isn't always illegal. However, when this content is used for illicit purposes such as fraud, extortion, or other crimes, identifying its origin and determining whether it was AI-generated becomes extremely difficult.

The FBI believes that providing concrete examples of how AI is being exploited in cybercrime will help expose scams and raise public awareness of this threat.

Cybercriminals use AI-generated text to deceive readers.

AI-generated texts are often highly persuasive, easily deceiving readers, and are being exploited by criminals to carry out fraudulent activities such as cyberattacks, email scams, romance scams, investment scams, and many other fraudulent schemes. This content can be misused in situations such as:

- Creating numerous fake profiles on social media platforms using false information, images, and identities to gain the trust of victims.

- Using tactics that generate quick responses helps scammers optimize their reach and interaction with a wider range of target audiences online.

- Scam websites are often designed with attractive, professional content to entice users to participate in dubious investment activities.

- On phishing websites, AI-powered chatbots are programmed to interact with victims in a natural and persuasive way.

Cybercriminals use AI-generated fake images to carry out scams.

Cybercriminals are rapidly leveraging AI to create believable fake images, using them as profile pictures, identification documents, and other fraudulent materials. The FBI warns that these images are being used for a variety of fraudulent purposes, including:

- Fake social media profiles are tools in non-technical attacks, used to carry out email scams, emotional manipulation, trust exploitation, and to lure victims into fake investment schemes.

- Counterfeit documents, such as driver's licenses or identification papers, are sophisticated imitations of official documents, enabling fraudsters to impersonate and steal identities to carry out complex scams.

- Using sophisticatedly edited images in private chats to convince victims of a fake identity, thereby building trust.

- Exploiting the image of celebrities or influencers to promote counterfeit products or fraudulent programs, using the prestige of public figures to increase persuasiveness and lure victims.

- Using images of natural disasters and tragic accidents to evoke sympathy, solicit donations for fake charities, and trick victims into transferring money.

- Creating sensitive images of victims to blackmail them, threaten their reputation, and force them to pay money or comply with other demands.

Cybercriminals use AI-powered voice cloning to trick victims.

Cybercriminals have impersonated celebrities, public figures, or even people familiar to victims in their personal relationships to scam them out of money. The FBI has documented several instances where AI-generated audio has been used as a sophisticated tool, including:

- Using AI to create fake voices of relatives, simulating emergency situations to exploit victims' compassion and trick them into sending money or paying ransoms.

- Exploiting AI-powered voice technology to bypass voice authentication, gain access to bank accounts, and conduct unauthorized transactions, causing serious damage to victims.

Cybercriminals are using AI-generated videos in fraudulent video calls.

The FBI warns that cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting AI technology to create fake videos that look authentic and believable, including content such as:

- Using AI-generated fake videos to conduct live video chats, impersonating company leaders, law enforcement officers, or other authorized individuals to deceive and gain the trust of victims.

- Using fake videos to conduct private conversations, aiming to "prove" that the person contacting them online is a "real" and trustworthy individual, thereby manipulating victims more effectively.

- Exploiting fake videos created as promotional materials for fraudulent investment programs, often containing misleading or fictitious content to attract and deceive investors. These videos are designed to appear professional and trustworthy, thereby persuading victims to invest in fictitious projects.

And here are the FBI's recommendations for protecting yourself from cybercrime.

Identifying AI-generated scams is becoming increasingly complex, as they are designed to deceive even experienced individuals. In light of this, the FBI offers some helpful tips to protect yourself from potential threats.

- Establish a secret word or phrase within your family to use as a method of identity verification in emergency situations.

- Images or videos generated by AI often contain flaws that can reveal their falsification. These signs include distorted hands or feet, unusual-looking teeth or eyes, asymmetrical or unclear faces, and accessories such as glasses or jewelry that look unrealistic.

Additionally, other anomalies may appear, such as inaccurate shadows, unnatural blurring, increased real-time lag, out-of-sync voice acting, and motion that lacks smoothness or realism.

- Pay close attention to the tone of voice and word choice, as these can be crucial clues to distinguishing a genuine call from a loved one from a fake voice created by AI.

Be cautious about online content involving your image and voice. Set your social media accounts to private and limit your followers to only those you actually know. These measures help minimize the risk of your personal information being exploited by fraudsters.

Never share sensitive information with people you've only met online or over the phone. Also, absolutely do not transfer money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or any other assets to people you don't know well or with whom you only communicate online or by phone.

An important rule is not to blindly trust anyone who calls you. Instead, proactively look up the official contact information of the bank or related organization on reliable sources and call the phone number provided on their official website directly.