Voice-enhanced scams are ‘going to feel so real’
It’s not just you. The rapidly evolving sophistication of fake emails and texts is making it much harder to know when you are looking at a scam.
That means potential victims are more vulnerable to phishing efforts in which a bad actor assumes a fake persona — as a bank representative, a friend or a government agency, for example — in hopes of stealing sensitive personal information or money.
In fact, a lead identity protection organization has revised some of the advice it gives consumers as scammers employ the use of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other advanced tools.
Rather than relying on warning signs, it’s safer to take the extra step of independently verifying an unsolicited contact, Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org/), said in a recent interview.
“We’re making it very clear – it’s not about, ‘Can I spot it?’” she said. “Instead, if you are not the one who initiated contact, you must verify the source.”
For example, a common red flag has always been poor grammar or weird syntax that sometimes borders on strange and even hilarious.
Now, AI tools can be used not only to create proper sentences, but also for more effective language in order to fool people.
“History knows that the scammers will go to whatever is lucrative and easy,” Velasquez said. “We know they’re always a few steps ahead of those of us on the fraud-fighting side. For the average person … it’s going to be increasingly hard to spot a fraudulent interaction. It’s going to feel so real.”
That includes voice-enhanced scams in which, for example, a supposed relative calls to request bond money or ransom money because he or she claims to have been arrested or kidnapped. Whole scenarios can be created with a capture of no more than 3 seconds of the person’s actual voice, Velasquez says.
So if you become a target, try calling the relative or another family member to verify an emergency story. In an email or text scheme, contact the bank or government agency directly that’s claiming you owe money or that you need to provide your Social Security number: When you do that, of course, don’t use contact information from the questionable email or text.
And do not click on any links, even if it’s supposedly to cancel a delivery you’ve never made or for some other bogus reason.
“I don’t care how legitimate it looks. In the right circumstances, anyone can be the victim,” Valesquez says.
For those who have joined the ranks of victim, the AARP Fraud Watch Network and Volunteers of America offer free peer discussion groups, overseen by a facilitator. The 1-hour Zoom sessions are open to anyone, regardless of age, and AARP membership is not required.
The meetings are “empowering, supportive sessions that lower stress rates and provide attendees with a safe space to talk about the emotional impact of fraud victimization,” according to an AARP statement. “And the sessions help attendees to realize that they are not alone – and that this is not their fault.”
The program is called “VOA|ReST, which stands for Resilience, Strength and Time.” For more information, go to www.aarp.org/fraudsupport.
Contact Ellen Marks at emarks@ abqjournal.com if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210, prompt 5. Complaints can be filed electronically at nmag.gov/contact-us/file-a-complaint/