In the world of constant development, innovation, and invention, the world have come so far that they have found a replacement for human work, Artificial Intelligence. The invention of Artificial Intelligence marks a big achievement of the human race in science and technology. It would reduce the workload on humans for sure and would make tasks easier, quicker, and performed with more accuracy. A few points or few sentences would be less to list the advantages and merits of AI.

But, every coin has two sides, as few points or few sentences are less to list the merits and advantages of AI, coming to disadvantages few paragraphs would be less the amount of disruption it has made in the world.

Today where it has provided some of us with benefits, the whole world has also suffered the consequences of this robotic era. The evil minds are using it for doing scams and photoshopping and editing normal photos of people to those which would disturb their lives adversely, leaving a trail of emotional devastation and these are experienced in series around the globe.

The most viral and dangerous scams are taking place through AI. Artificial Intelligence is making phone scams more realistic and sophisticated which seems more believable.

Some common ones which are widely experienced are: -

DEEP FAKES:

 

Deep fake is an AI-based scam in which scammers use artificial intelligence to create legitimate audio and videos of people from a large dataset of photos, videos, and audio to replicate the voices and faces of people and make them say whatever they want, using these videos and audios they scam families and friends to get money and personal information.

Already, this technology has been used for attempted financial fraud, with Martin Lewis being the victim of one recent attempt at impersonating him. 

CHAT-GPT PHISHING:

Email phishing is nothing new, CHATGPT an AI-based software is used by scammers to send out emails in mass, purporting to be from a genuine source, such as a bank, technology provider, or government department. The scammers will often attempt to make you visit a website that could lead to your bank details or other personal information being stolen, leaked, and misused.

AI VOICE CLONING SCAM:

Another form of deep fake, but instead of replicating videos, audios are replicated with the language and realistic tone of an individual- convincing enough for someone to believe that they are having a genuine phone call with their near and dear ones.

The call will be AI-based in the voice of your family member or friend making you believe that they are in danger and asking you for money or their private data known to you, this would be the data required by those scammers to scam you. 

CASE: KERALA MAN LOSES 40,000 TO AI-BASED SCAM.

In a recently reported case of an AI-deep fake scam, a man from Kerala was cheated for Rs 40,000 using AI-based deep faking. According to the Deccan Herald, the victim, Radhakrishnan, who is a native of Kozhikode, a city in Kerala, received a video call from an unknown number. Upon receiving the call, the image of the person on the video call was similar to one of his former colleagues in Andhra Pradesh. To gain his trust, the caller even mentioned the names of some of their common friends.

Thinking it was a genuine call, the victim continued the video call. However, after a few minutes, the caller requested the victim for Rs 40,000 for immediate assistance for a relative in the hospital. Wanting to help his friend, the victim agreed to help and sent the amount online. However, a short time later, the same person asked for Rs 35,000. But this time, the victim became suspicious and alert. He immediately contacted his former colleague to cross-check, after receiving the second call. It was then that he realized he had been cheated and the call was not genuine, but a fraud. The victim then reported it to the police.

Following the complaint, the police started an investigation and tracked the transaction to a private bank in Maharashtra. The bank authorities later froze the account.

CASE: VIRTUAL AI-KIDNAPPING

Another case of an AI voice cloning scam was reported in the USA, where a mother received a terrifying call from virtual kidnappers.

Jennifer DeStefano of Arizona warns the world about phone scams through AI that can clone their loved ones.

Jennifer says that she got a call from an unfamiliar phone number, her 15-year-old daughter was out of town for skiing, so she picked up the call fearing that there may be an accident.

On receiving the call, she heard her daughter’s voice appealing for help and sobbing, as soon as she asked what happened she heard a man shouting from behind “Put your head back, lie down”.

The man on the phone tells DeStefano that he has her daughter and if she calls the police or calls anybody, he is going to pop her full of drugs, make his way through her, and drop her off in Mexico. The man on the phone demanded $ 1 million, then lowered it to $50,000 when the terrified mother said that she did not have funds.

DeStefano kept talking to him. Luckily, she happened to be at her other daughter’s dance studio, seeing the frightened mother other mothers tried to help her one called 911 and the other called her husband.

On investigation within minutes, it was confirmed that her daughter was safe and was sleeping. On further investigation, it was confirmed that the call received by Jennifer DeStefano was AI AI-based voice cloned scam call.

She shares her experience saying she did not realize even for a second it was not her daughter.

In an April survey of adults in seven countries conducted by the global security software company McAfee, one-quarter of respondents reported experience with some kind of AI voice scam — one in 10 said they had been targeted personally, while 15% said it happened to someone they knew. Approximately 77% of people globally have become victims of this AI scam, which India tops the list by 47%.

With this increasing rate it becomes important for every individual to be aware of this and enable to spot the scam and tackle it.

WAYS TO AVOID AI CLONE ATTACKS:

• Avoid sharing your audio and videos on social media handles, as this can become a database for the scammers to target you.
• Be alert while using these social media platforms because they are way to many of the scams, use them wisely.
• Think before answering a call from an unfamiliar or unknown number and clicking on random links.
• Ask the questions which you know only your close ones can answer.
• If you receive any such call directly confirm it from the person being talked about.
• There may be some discrepancies in an AI-based deep fake video or audio call try to spot them.
• If trapped in such a scam, immediately report to your nearest police station and cybersecurity center.

Be aware and Cautious because YOUR SAFETY IS IN YOUR HAND.

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