For years, the advice for spotting a scam was simple: look for bad spelling, a strange accent, or a voice you don't recognize. Artificial intelligence has broken most of those rules.

In December 2024, the FBI warned that criminals are using generative AI to make fraud faster, cheaper, and far more believable. Fake voices, fake videos, fake photos, and polished fake messages are now within reach of almost any scammer (FBI public service announcement I-120324-PSA).

The good news: the tricks are new, but the defenses are still simple habits. Here's what to watch for.

1. Voice clones: "Grandma, it's me. I'm in trouble."

A panicked call from a family member who says they've been in an accident or arrested, and needs money right now. The voice sounds exactly like them, because it was copied.

The FTC warns that a scammer needs only a short audio clip of someone's voice, which can come from a video posted online, plus a voice-cloning program (FTC: fake emergency scams).

The voice is not proof. If a call asks for urgent money, hang up and call the person back on a number you already know is theirs. If you can't reach them, call another family member.

2. Deepfake video calls

The FBI notes criminals now create fake video of real people, including in live video calls, to impersonate executives, officials, or loved ones. For small businesses, the classic version is a "manager" on a video call asking an employee to send an urgent payment or change a vendor's bank details.

Video looks convincing, but the request is the giveaway: urgent money, secrecy, and a reason you can't verify it the normal way.

3. Phishing with perfect grammar

AI writes clean, natural, personalized emails and texts in seconds. Spelling mistakes are no longer a reliable warning sign. What still gives a scam away is what it asks you to do: click a link, log in, open an attachment, or pay, usually in a hurry. Our guide to spotting phishing emails covers the signs that still work.

4. Fake profiles, websites, and documents

The FBI also warns about AI-generated profile photos, fake identification documents, and entire websites written by AI to look legitimate. A professional-looking profile or website is no longer evidence that a person or company is real.

The habits that still beat AI

  1. Agree on a family code word. The FBI recommends a secret word or phrase that a real family member would know. Ask for it on any emergency call.
  2. Call back on a number you already know. Never use the number in the message, caller ID, or video invite.
  3. Never pay by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire to someone you haven't verified. These are the payment methods scammers prefer because the money is hard to get back.
  4. Limit what you share publicly. The FBI suggests limiting online content that includes your image or voice, and making social media accounts private where you can.
  5. For businesses: verify payment changes by phone. Require a call-back to a known number, and a second person's approval, before changing bank details or sending urgent payments.
Tip: Have the code-word conversation with older relatives today. It takes two minutes, and it's one of the most effective defenses against a cloned-voice emergency call.

If it happens to you

If you sent money, contact your bank or payment provider immediately; speed matters. Then report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, even if you didn't lose money.

Sources: FBI: Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud (Dec. 2024) · FTC: Scammers use fake emergencies to steal your money

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