FBI Warns ‘Scams Targeting Americans Are Surging’ — Beware These 3 ‘Red Flags’ As Losses Top $50 Billion
📝 usncan Note: FBI Warns ‘Scams Targeting Americans Are Surging’ — Beware These 3 ‘Red Flags’ As Losses Top $50 Billion
Disclaimer: This content has been prepared based on currently trending topics to increase your awareness.
These attacks are out of control
AFP via Getty Images
Timing is everything. The same week a deepfake Tim Cook scammed more than 200,000 people into viewing a malicious iPhone 17 launch stream, the FBI warns that scams targeting Americans are now out of control, highlighting deepfakes.
The bureau says its warning has been issued with the American Bankers Association “to help the public identify and avoid the growing threat posed by deepfake scams.” Scams exactly like an AI-rendered Tim Cook promoting a fake Apple crypto scheme.
The FBI says this kind of “AI-generated or manipulated images, video and audio can be used to impersonate loved ones, government officials, law enforcement personnel or even celebrities, often using fear and urgency to convince victims to send money or share sensitive information.” And it’s becoming much harder to tell real from fake.
AI is changing the threat industry just as it’s changing so many others. And this scam landscape was already surging. “More than 4.2 million fraud reports have been filed since 2020, resulting in over $50.5 billion in losses,” the FBI says, warning that “a growing portion stem from deepfake scams,” as we have all been warned.
The FBI offers up three “red flags” to help you sport the threat before it’s too late:
- Unexpected requests for money, passwords, personal information or secrecy
- Emotional manipulation involving fear or urgency
- Uncharacteristic communication from someone you know, especially obver text, phone or video.
But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections. We’re watching many of these videos on small-screen devices and we’re not studying the details. That makes it harder to spot blurry features and odd shadows and lighting, as we’re advised.
More critically, while Tim Cook sitting at a desk flogging crypto might seem an obvious scam — notwithstanding those 200,000 viewers, if the video is someone you know who is less profile, and if it’s sent to you and not posted on YouTube, it’s a personal hit.
This is why we’re also warned to be especially careful what we post online — especially videos and images. This is where such deepfakes are trained and honed.
“Stop and think,” the FBI says. And that’s probably the best advice. You then need to verify everyone and everything before assuming it’s real.
Welcome to 2025.
