By Judith Boyd, Customer Service Assistant

 

In March, I hosted an AI scams workshop at the Alamosa Senior Center and The Bridge at Alamosa, where I discussed how AI is being utilized to scam older Americans out of their life savings. But here’s the twist: I actually used AI to help me to craft a script and create a professional looking slideshow for those presentations. I later uploaded that slideshow to Google Vids, a free online video-editing program, and the platform automatically generated a complete video with voiceovers and music with little to no input from me. 

 

 

 

A.I. can be a useful tool, helping to save us time and effort, but it can also make things a little too easy for scammers to take advantage of you. In 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded more than 850,000 fraud complaints, totaling an estimated $16.6 billion in losses. Notably, Americans over the age of 60 accounted for approximately 25% of these financial damages. The FBI has cautioned that generative AI is increasingly being used to facilitate scams through the creation of highly convincing phishing emails, deepfakes, and artificial personas.

 

The simplest way to protect yourself is to just Stop, Think and Verify.

Stop

If you see an email in your inbox or a text message on your phone that looks suspicious, is requesting immediate action, or requires you to click on a link to verify your identity, slow down and take a breath. Scammers want you to act fast. Don’t give them the satisfaction.

 

These attacks are known as phishing, where scammers attempt to “hook” you into granting access to your personal accounts and finances by creating deceptive, legitimate-looking emails or text messages. So long are the days where fuzzy logos and grammar mistakes reveal that these messages came from an unreliable source. AI now makes it nearly impossible to distinguish real from fake.

 

Slow down and don’t click, reply, or share the message, especially if the request feels urgent, highly emotional, or “too good to be true.” The same goes for scam phone and video calls as well—just hang up.

Think

Ask yourself some questions and take time to consider what’s happening. Is there a sense of urgency? Did I call them, or did they call me? Are they asking for a weird form of payment, like gift cards or wire transfers? Are they asking me to keep it a secret?

 

Whether it's a phishing email, a fraudulent call, or a text message regarding a supposed package delivery, scammers will do anything to bypass your critical thinking and provoke you into giving them an immediate, emotional response. In a manner of speaking, they want you to “shoot first and ask questions later” when in reality, you should ask questions first and shoot down any attempts the scammer employs to get you to comply. 

Verify

Hang up on a caller pretending to be a relative in trouble and call the relative’s known number directly. If on a videocall, ask the caller to do something specific, like "Wave your hand in front of your face" or "Turn your head to the side." If you see an email claiming that there’s an “issue with your account,” delete the email, open your browser and type the official website address yourself. Use Google to perform a Reverse Image Search to see if the person’s profile picture appears elsewhere on the web or is a known stock photo.

 

For more tips and information on AI Scams, or to report a scam, visit the FBI’s official Internet Crime Complaint Center’s website: www.ic3.gov