California officials, police warn residents of AI impersonation scams
(FOX40.COM) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta administered a consumer alert on Friday to warn Californians of scams using artificial intelligence, particularly those impersonating gover… California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a consumer alert to warn Californians of scams using artificial intelligence, particularly those impersonating government officials or family members. The new scam targets parents by sending AI voice impersonations of their child and grandparents. The FBI reported that last year, nearly $2 million in losses was caused by these scams. New AI technology can produce deep fake videos and voice manipulation, which scammers can use to make requests for money or personal information more credible. Bontta's office provided several tips for Californians to avoid falling victim to phone-based scams incorporating AI technology. These scams can also spread misinformation about elections or political candidates.
Опубликовано : 4 недели назад от Aydian Ahmad в Tech
(FOX40.COM) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta administered a consumer alert on Friday to warn Californians of scams using artificial intelligence, particularly those impersonating government officials or family members.
Bonta said a new scam that has circulated the state aims at parents by sending them AI voice impersonations of their child begging for help. Grandparents are also the victims of this scam, and just last year, the FBI said scams targeting grandparents totaled nearly $2 million in losses for those affected.
“AI and other novel and evolving technologies can make scams harder to spot,” Bonta said. “Knowing what to look for is an important way to keep consumers safe against these tactics.”
The attorney general added that new AI technology can produce deep fake videos and voice manipulation, which scammers can use to make their requests for money or personal information more credible.
The technology can even be used to clone a person’s voice using clips of audio taken from their social media account.
Imposter scams were the most commonly reported form of fraud in 2023 and typically involve a scammer calling someone and pretending to be a bank’s fraud department, the government, or even a technical support “expert.”
“These scams can also spread misinformation about elections or political candidates,” the attorney general’s office said. “For example, in January residents of New Hampshire received scam election robocalls that allegedly used AI to impersonate the president and discourage voters from participating in the New Hampshire primary.”
Bonta’s office also provided some tips for Californians to prevent falling victim to phone-based scams incorporating AI technology, including:
• Develop family code words: Talk with family about designating “safe words” or asking a question that only specific people would know.
• Minimize personal audio/video content on social media accounts: Consider removing personal phone numbers and audio and video clips from your and your children’s social media profiles. AI scammers can use these clips to create clone voices and videos of loved ones.
• Check privacy settings: Strengthen privacy settings on social media so that strangers don’t know facts about your life and your current whereabouts, including whether you or a family member is out of town.
• Don’t answer the phone: Let phone calls from unfamiliar numbers go to voicemail.
• Don’t trust caller ID: Phone numbers can be “spoofed” to look like a familiar number from friends, family, a school district, or a government agency.
• Hang up the phone: If you suspect a scam call, immediately hang up.
• Take advantage of call-blocking technology: Many cellular providers offer enhanced call-blocking technology that can assist in preventing robocalls from reaching you.
• Don’t click on suspicious links: Scammers will try to get you to click on links that are sent to you in texts, emails, or social media. Text messaging is particularly dangerous because you might hurriedly click on a link and begin entering a password, not realizing that the link is phony, and your password is being recorded.
• Go directly to websites: Go directly to the website of a company you are familiar with rather than clicking on a link that has been sent to you. Some fraudulent links are made to look very similar to the actual website address. You should never click on links that are texted to you.
• Use strong passwords: Protect yourself by using different, unique passwords for each of your online accounts.
• Protect your Social Security number (SSN) and other sensitive information: Keep your Social Security card at home in a safe place instead of carrying it around in your wallet. Only provide your SSN when absolutely necessary, such as on tax forms or employment records. If a business asks you for your SSN, see if there is another number that can be used instead.
• Beware of government impersonations and other common scams: If a government agency calls you and asks for financial or personal information, hang up and go to the agency’s official website (which should be a .gov website) and call them directly.
The alert comes around the same time a Northern California police department said a scam involving someone impersonating officers and telling people they may be victims of fraud before any actual fraud occurred. The scammer would then offer to help the “victim” by requesting sensitive financial information.
Темы: AI