Beware of this new AI scam that threatens many families!
Among many other things, artificial intelligence has also brought us a lot of elaborate new scams.
AI has been on a roll for several months now. Whether it's the famous ChatGPT for answering questions, or MidJourney for generating images from scratch, artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of our daily lives.
Today, it's easy enough to create all kinds of fake news using artificial intelligence. We've lost count of the number of fabricated images posted on Facebook to make people believe in a situation that never happened. Unfortunately, many people fall for this trick and can't tell the difference between a real photo and an AI-generated image. Artificial intelligence has therefore given hackers and malicious people ideas to create a brand new online scam. This new scam is extremely well thought-out and difficult for some victims to understand, as it imitates the voice of your loved ones! The process is simple: first, the hackers record your voice using various methods (videos posted online, audio available on the net, etc.). The more samples they collect, the more elaborate the scam. Once they have enough audio samples in their possession, the hackers use online software or software they have developed themselves to extract the parts they need. This then allows them to type in any text for the AI to read, imitating your voice!
The rest of the scam is quite simple. Once they have your voice, the hackers will try to contact someone close to you. Whether it's a family member or a friend, they'll find a way to get their potential victim's number so they can make a phone call. From there, all they have to do is pretend to have a new cell phone, call the person, and ask for money. The victim, convinced that they ew currently on the phone with you, will not ask any questions and will make the requested transfers.
The International Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a number of warnings about this new scam, which is spreading rapidly and is already causing havoc in many families. The association warns that you should never send money in a hurry, no matter how convincing a phone call or voicemail may sound, and that it's best to try calling the person in question on their usual number to make sure that they have indeed lost their old phone as they claim. And don't hesitate to call the person's friends and family to make sure they're in an emergency situation. After all, think about multifactor authentication to protect your devices and accounts from scammers and hackers. Also, try to stay updated about the new scams out there.