On December 3, 2024, the FBI issued a public warning about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial fraud schemes. The warning highlighted how cybercriminals are using AI technologies to create realistic phishing attempts, fake identities, and voice or video deepfakes. This technology enables fraudsters to impersonate trusted individuals or organizations, manipulate victims, and carry out scams more effectively.

The FBI provided the following tips to protect yourself from AI scams:

• 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 suspect you’ve fallen victim to an AI scam:

• Contact your bank immediately to secure your accounts.
• Notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.FTC.gov.
• File a report with your local police.
• Monitor your credit report for any unusual activity.

For more information on trending scams, visit the FBI's Common Frauds and Scams page, or contact us for assistance.