On December 3, 2024, the FBI issued a warning on generative artificial intelligence (AI) being used to commit financial fraud. Criminals are using AI-generated text, images, audio, and videos to trick victims into sending money and providing sensitive information.

The FBI shared the following tips to help protect yourself from AI-generated fraud:

• Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.
• Look for subtle imperfections in images and videos, such as distorted hands or feet, unrealistic teeth or eyes, indistinct or irregular faces, unrealistic accessories such as glasses or jewelry, inaccurate shadows, watermarks, lag time, voice matching, and unrealistic movements.
• Listen closely to the tone and word choice to distinguish between a legitimate phone call from a loved one and an AI-generated vocal cloning.
• If possible, limit online content of your image or voice, make social media accounts private, and limit followers to people you know to minimize fraudsters’ capabilities to use generative AI software to create fraudulent identities for social engineering.
• Verify the identity of the person calling you by hanging up the phone, researching the contact of the bank or organization purporting to call you, and call the phone number directly.
• Never share sensitive information with people you have met only online or over the phone.
• Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone.

If you believe you have fallen victim to financial fraud schemes, file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

For further information on the subject, read our article discussing AI in Cybercrime.