Online scams are nothing new, but artificial intelligence is making it harder for people to recognize them. It has also made it easier for criminals to target large numbers of victims at little cost. You may think you can’t be tricked, but in 2025, Americans lost over $893 million to cybercrimes involving AI. Do you know how to avoid AI scams and protect yourself and loved ones?
Common AI Scams
AI can create powerful and believable interactions to fool victims. Some of the most common scenarios to watch for include:
The “Family Emergency” Voice Clone Scam
Your child or grandchild calls claiming they’ve been arrested, injured, or stranded and urgently need money (usually in the form of a gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency). It sounds just like your loved one, but AI was used to recreate their voice using audio samples found online, often on your loved one’s social media accounts.
Imposter Scams
You get a call, text, or email from your bank, a governmental agency, your health insurer, UPS, an employer, or another trusted organization asking for personal or financial information either directly or telling you to click a link to a website. This is often accompanied by claims your account has suspicious activity, you have an undelivered package, you owe money, or some other urgent threat requiring you to act immediately.
AI Job Scams
This is a twist on the impostor scam where you receive an unsolicited email from a legitimate company or job site to apply for an open position. In addition to providing information in an online application, you may engage in one or more interviews with a realistic AI chatbot, gathering more details about you. It may end with a job offer and asking you for banking and other financial information.
Deepfake Videos
AI tools can easily create realistic videos of well-known and trusted individuals, such as public figures and financial or medical experts. These videos promote fake investments and products or fraudulent charities. They pressure you to act quickly, or you’ll lose the opportunity or people will suffer because they need aid now.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
Scams will continue to become more sophisticated, but there are some simple tips that can reduce your risk significantly.
1. Know the warning signs. These scams typically involve a party reaching out unexpectedly, pressuring you to act immediately, and asking for cash, wire transfer, gift card, or personal information. They may also urge you not to tell anyone else.
2. Slow down. Scammers want you to panic and rush to do what they want. Instead, pause and consider whether it could be a scam and what steps you can take to verify the circumstances.
3. Don’t click links. Links in emails, texts, and social media ads can take you to fake sites, or you may download a virus or malware. Instead, find the organization’s website online and then log into your account or make a purchase.
4. Verify callers and text/email senders independently. Don’t share any private information unless you’re certain who you are dealing with and why they need the information. Contact the organization by phone to confirm the identity of the person who called or sent you a message. Don’t rely on caller ID or the contact information listed in a message. Look it up.
5. Protect against voice cloning. Have a “safe word” in your family to use in an emergency to verify a person’s identity and ask the caller for that word. You can also independently reach out to your loved one to confirm they called you to ask for assistance.
6. Limit what you share publicly. The more personal information you put online, the easier it is for scammers to impersonate you or your family members. Also, review and adjust your privacy settings on social media.
7. Talk about scams with your family. Discuss different types of scams and how to avoid them. This is particularly important with older adults who may not be as comfortable with technology, may be lonely or isolated, or suffer from cognitive issues. Everyone should double-check with another person before giving out information or sending money. These scams are so sophisticated and believable that a second opinion provides essential protection.
8. Consider working with a daily money manager (DMM). A DMM can add another layer of protection for those who are too busy to manage their day-to-day finances or cannot do so for health reasons. We can monitor financial accounts, verify the accuracy of bills, organize financial records, work with other advisors, and look for suspicious activity that may indicate identity theft, unauthorized account access, or other issues.
What to Do If You Are Scammed
First, report it to the police, FTC, and the FBI at IC3.gov. Also, contact your bank or credit card company to report any unauthorized transactions and major credit bureaus to freeze your credit.
Check your devices for security breaches and update all software programs to the latest versions. Change passwords for any affected accounts.
Be careful of unsolicited offers to help you. Unfortunately, victims of scams can often be tricked again by people offering security or identity theft services.
For help dealing with the aftermath, contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 877-908-3360 and the FTC.
While scams are getting harder to identify because of AI, you can reduce your risks. It’s better to be overly suspicious and delay responding to someone than potentially lose money.
If you need help managing your day-to-day finances or your loved one’s, contact me for a free consultation.
