GREENSBORO, N.C. — While artificial intelligence is proving useful in the hands of law enforcement and first responders, criminals are also eyeing the new technology.
For the longest time, scammers used text messages and emails to reach out to potential victims. Misspellings and stilted language are often the telling signs someone is trying to scam you. Lechelle Yates with the Better Business Bureau said con artists have found a way to get around that.
“Scammers are now using ChatGPT to get around some of that, and they're using it on phishing scams, romance scams, impersonation scams to make the scams seem even more real," Yates said.
Yates said scammers use ChatGPT and other AI technologies because they can mimic human speech more accurately.
"You're seeing examples where scammers can use voice recognition technology,” Yates said. “Take a little clip of something off the internet because we post so much on social media then use some voice cloning technology and make it sound like a loved one."
As these scams become more popular, the BBB said there are several things to look out for. The first is being cautious with unsolicited messages.
“You need to know that your bank and Amazon are still not going to communicate with you by text no matter how real it seems,” Yates said.
Never click on links from strangers.
“Even if it's from somebody that you know,” Yates said. “You need to verify that the person who is reaching out to you with a link, really is the person behind the link. You need to call them and verify that they're the ones that sent you the link.”
Always scrutinize texts.
“AI technology tends to repeat words and they also tend to use again, a little bit of stilted language in some paragraphs, so those are always good indications that a sentence or paragraph was written by AI.”
All in all, if something feels off, trust your gut.
"We're in this day and age where you have to believe almost everything is fake and that you can't take it on face value,” Yates said. “You really must be aware that scammers are using AI technology to make themselves seem very real. Use your gut, if something doesn't feel quite right, take a beat and say maybe I need to check this out just a little bit further."
Yates also recommends using two-factor authentication for your online accounts.
As much as it can be a pain, two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts by requiring an additional code to log in. This makes it more difficult for scammers to access your accounts even if they manage to steal your password.