Scams are not new, but artificial intelligence (AI) is making them more convincing than ever. Scammers have always relied on emotions such as trust, fear, and confusion to manipulate their victims. When paired with a sense of urgency, these scams can have wide-reaching effects, duping victims out of their life savings. Today, AI allows scammers to create more believable scams faster and on a much larger scale. As AI scams become more common, consumers should understand how these tactics work and how to protect themselves.

AI Effects on Scams

AI scams can take many forms, including phishing emails, deepfakes, and highly personalized communications.

Emails are more convincing.

For years, consumers were told to look for poor grammar and misspelled words to identify phishing emails. With the rise of AI, this advice is no longer completely accurate. While some phishing emails may still contain mistakes, many scammers now use AI to create polished, professional-sounding messages that appear legitimate.

AI-generated content is increasing.

Not everything you see or hear online is real. AI is being used to create deepfakes—fake recreations of someone’s face or voice that are used to mislead others. Deepfake scams can occur through phone calls, video messages, social media, and other digital channels. Because deepfakes can closely mimic a person’s voice and appearance, they can be difficult to detect.

Personalization is easier.

Just because you were addressed by first name in a communication does not mean it is legitimate. AI makes it easier for scammers to compile public information such as your job, interests, or relationships to craft highly targeted scams designed to gain access to your finances, accounts, or sensitive information.

Protect Yourself

While AI scams have become more sophisticated, many of the same fraud prevention strategies remain effective.

Slow down to verify.

If someone contacts you claiming to be a family member, coworker, government agent, bank representative, or someone in a position of authority, pause to verify the communication. End the communication and contact the individual directly using a phone number, email address, or other method you know is legitimate.

Be skeptical of urgency.

Scammers often create a sense of panic or urgency because they want victims to act before they have time to think critically about the request. If you feel rushed to act, take a step back and think about the situation.

Enable security protections.

Creating a layered system of security measures keeps accounts more secure. Two simple steps you can take today to improve account security are:

  1. Use passphrases instead of passwords.

  2. Enable multi-factor authentication whenever possible.

Reporting Scams

West Bank will never call, email, or text you to ask for sensitive information such as authentication tokens, usernames and passwords, or account information. Remember to never give out your personal or financial information unless you initiate the communication and are confident in the legitimacy of the request.
If you believe you may have fallen victim to a scam, please contact West Bank Customer Service at 1-800-810-2301. You can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Many scams go unreported, which allows criminals to continue targeting new victims. Reporting suspicious activity can help protect others from AI scams and other forms of fraud.