AI is in the spotlight these days due to both its usefulness and threats blooming all pervasively. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad branch of computer science capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI is creating a paradigm shift in virtually every sector of the tech industry. According to some reports, human jobs are at risk due to increasing use of AI. For instance, the IBM CEO has revealed plans to pause hiring for about 7,800 positions that could be replaced by artificial intelligence systems, over time. Although, if technology poses a full stop to some jobs it creates an opportunity for some new ones as well. In a curious turn of events, AI has also envisaged opportunities for fraudsters to commit scams.
The prevalence of AI-powered scams has inundated the online sphere with alarming news. AI enabled technologies allow fraudsters to create highly convincing and realistic scams that can be difficult to detect. An ear grabbing scam using AI that has been encountered by many and more may be vulnerable to, is one in which scammers use AI voice cloning to trick people. Voice cloning is an AI technology that imitates a person’s voice and replicates it. Scammers can impersonate your family member by using a voice cloning program. According to a report by cybersecurity firm McAfee, 47 percent of Indian internet users have either come across or know someone who fell victim to AI voice cloning scams between January to March 2023.
Microsoft has launched an AI based voice simulator which replicates a user's voice and generates response by using just a three second audio sample. Scammers can get recordings of someone’s voice from videos posted on popular online platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or Facebook and might implant a crisis situation like faking an accident or asking for some immediate financial assistance. Several other similar tools are there for voice cloning such as Murf, Voice.ai, Resemble. Other AI-powered scams are also prevailing in the town , for example Phishing emails that seem to be generated from a legitimate source and producing fake images and videos to create fake accounts in order to deceive people into thinking they are interacting with a real human when in reality the person behind the photo is a fraudster.
As AI-powered scamming attempts have become more sophisticated, so do the security measures used to protect against them. Staying informed about the latest security measures and tools and using them to safeguard your sensitive information is a way to defend yourself against such attacks. People should be made aware of the potential use of AI and natural language generation in scams so that they can identify suspicious activities. Multi factor authentication should be in place so that unauthorised access and abnormal data transfer could be monitored. Avoid clicking on suspicious links and verify the authenticity of any links by searching the domain name on Google before clicking on them and entering personal information. Using AI to defeat AI- powered scams, like Truecaller has launched an AI-driven fraud protection tool that uses user feedback and machine learning to combat fraudulent messages and senders. Being careful about what information you share online because prevention is better than cure. Finally, people should also stay up to date on the latest fraud trends and scams because when a hacker finds a new exploit, they will typically use that same exploit until the strategy is exhausted.
