In today's world of working with artificial intelligence, humanity has advanced to more sophisticated technologies. Thanks to artificial intelligence, many useful tasks are accomplished:
- space technologies are developing;
- serious mathematical calculations are being performed;
- complex surgical operations are being conducted;
- amazing special effects in movies are also being created.
But there are situations where the achievements of artificial intelligence are used for criminal purposes. Recently, scammers have learned to use this technology well and create various fake situations, expertly utilizing the creation of deepfakes.
Deepfake Fraud
Scammers create various kinds of deepfakes - these can be photos, video files, audio recordings, allowing them to commit crimes. The main goal is to extract as much money as possible from the future victim. The most common type of fake is sending a message from a known person asking for an urgent money transfer. If the victim does not verify the information and does not call back the sender, they will transfer the money immediately, only to find out that the acquaintance did not make such a request.
Fake photos created by scammers are mainly used for blackmailing famous personalities. By creating an unpleasant situation in the image, scammers demand money to prevent the photo from being distributed and compromising the victim.
Fake Videos
Scammers create fake videos where they recreate people using artificial intelligence. The main goal of this video is to extract money from the victim.
To make it more believable, scammers first:
- study the victim;
- their circle of acquaintances and friends;
- if possible, use social networks where most users like to post many personal photos, personal information, and home video files.
This allows scammers to choose a person to be recreated by artificial intelligence. It is even possible to copy the voice, and after creating such a video, scammers send it to the potential victim. The person created in the video may ask for a loan or for the transfer of some urgently needed amount. If the victim does not immediately recognize the deception and, in a panic, transfers the money, then it is considered that the fraudulent scheme has worked.
Financial Crimes
Some fraudsters are capable of pulling off large-scale scams. For example, there are cases where scammers create videos where the head of a large company or an employee with access to company finances can connect via video call with employees and demand a large money transfer to a specific account. Everything will look realistic, and the employee, in a rush to follow the director's instructions, deprives the company of large sums that were transferred to accounts from which a return will be impossible.
Also, a major scam can be a scheme like selling fake real estate. Using special programs, fraudsters create videos and photos where they sell luxury real estate, for example, abroad. Houses are created in the images, photos of which may have been copied from the internet or recreated by artificial intelligence according to specified parameters. Such photos can easily be placed on international real estate sales websites.
Not every buyer of luxury real estate abroad can personally come and complete the deal, so scammers rely on this, selling real estate with fake photos. Scammers may demand an advance, telling the buyer that there is high demand, many interested parties, and it is necessary to intercept the deal. There may be several such buyers, each of whom, having paid an advance, will consider themselves the only one who managed to acquire the property. In most cases, after receiving advances from several people, scammers disappear, break off all contacts, and leave the victims without money and property, disappearing in an unknown direction.
New Scam Technologies
By creating beautiful pictures and realistic videos with artificial intelligence, scammers have learned to deceive people more sophisticatedly. Most victims, trusting their eyes, cannot always recognize a deepfake. To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is necessary to understand which situations are unrealistic, for example, pay attention to:
- eye blinking;
- falling shadows;
- hand movements;
- finger bending;
- lip movement.
If you look closely, you can notice discrepancies and recognize that artificial intelligence worked on the video.
Using new technologies, scammers spread scams on most platforms on the internet or contact victims through social networks.
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, you should:
- keep personal information secret;
- do not disclose passwords and access codes to email accounts and bank cards;
- minimize the amount of information on social networks;
- control which photos are present on social networks;
- be vigilant and attentive.