The AI scams to know
Voice-cloning calls
A few seconds of someone's voice from a video is enough to clone it. Scammers call parents or grandparents with a "child in trouble" asking for money urgently, or call staff pretending to be the boss.
Deepfake videos and video calls
Fake videos of celebrities promoting investments, and even fake video meetings: in 2024 a finance worker in Hong Kong paid out about US$25 million after a video call where everyone else was a deepfake.
AI investment and trading bots
"Our AI trades for you, 3% a day." No real system does that. They show fake profits and then you cannot withdraw.
Perfect phishing
No more spelling mistakes: AI writes convincing emails and texts in any language, personalised from your social media.
Romance and friendship scams
AI chatbots and fake photos keep many fake relationships going at once, until the request for money.
8 habits that stop AI scams
- Agree a family code word for emergencies, and ask for it on any urgent money call.
- Hang up and call back on a number you already have.
- Never act on urgency. Pressure to pay now is the main sign of a scam.
- Use a password manager and a different password everywhere.
- Turn on two-step login, ideally with an app or passkey rather than SMS.
- Doubt videos of famous people selling things. Check on their official channels.
- Limit public voice and video of yourself and your kids, or make accounts private.
- Report it. Tell your bank at once and your national fraud line; speed helps recover money.
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