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Tech experts are raising urgent warnings about AI, describing it as a looming threat to online security in 2025. Cybercriminals are applying AI generated impersonations to proven scam techniques like email phishing, financial fraud scams, and ransomware extortion. In the past, many email phishing scams could be side-stepped with a little extra scrutiny. Misspellings in the email content, website URL’s that don’t match the business name, and grainy logos are all hallmarks of email phishing. But with AI generated impersonations, the tell tail signs of a scam are nearly impossible to detect. Despite this, all scams attempt to manipulate your feelings, fears, and a sense of urgency get you to do something directly or indirectly. This hasn’t changed with AI impersonations. Keeping this top of mind could help you avoid becoming a victim of a scam. But if you do fall for an AI impersonation, following and maintaining cybersecurity recommendations and hygiene could be your next line of defense. In this month’s blog, I’ll highlight some of the ways AI impersonations are being deployed in scams and suggest ways to protect yourself from being duped.

Types of AI Impersonation Scams

AI is being used by scammers to create deepfake video scams, voice cloning scams, AI-enhanced phishing emails, AI-generated social engineering attacks, AI-powered chatbots impersonating customer service representatives, and scams utilizing AI to create realistic fake websites or online identities. In a nutshell, AI is being deployed to make scams appear more convincing by imitating real people and interactions through generated audio, video, and text content.

Deepfakes:

AI can create realistic video or audio recordings of people saying or doing things they never did, allowing scammers to impersonate trusted individuals like CEOs or family members.

Voice Cloning:

AI can replicate a person's voice with just a short audio sample, enabling scammers to make phone calls seemingly from a known person.

Personalized Phishing:

AI can analyze personal data from social media or data breaches to craft highly targeted phishing emails that appear more legitimate.

AI Chatbots:

Scammers can use AI chatbots to mimic customer service representatives or other trusted entities to trick people into sharing sensitive information.

Social Engineering:

AI can be used to generate persuasive messages on social media or through other channels to manipulate people into taking actions that benefit the scammer.

If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

All scams attempt to manipulate your feelings, fears, and a sense of urgency get you to do something directly or indirectly. If the AI impersonation motivates you to do something but it doesn’t feel right, listen to your gut and if it contains any of the scam techniques listed below, pause and investigate before you act.

Time Pressure: Is the AI impersonation giving you a limited amount of time to respond to the situation?

Urgency: Is the AI impersonation asking you to act immediately, even if there’s no explicit time pressure? (Ex: an emergency involving a loved one).

Too Good to be True: Is the AI impersonation offering something that is too good to be true?

Requests for Personal Details: Is the AI impersonation asking for information like a credit card number, your banking info, or social security number?

Topic Steering: Does the AI impersonation keep trying to steer you toward sharing your financial, personal, or otherwise sensitive information (either through a direct or indirect request)?

Unusual Contact Method: Is the AI impersonation contacting you in the usual way you’d be contacted by the other person or entity?

Unknown Contact: Is the AI impersonator an individual or organization you know?

Emotional Manipulation: Is the AI impersonation a message or media trying to use strong feelings like shame, excitement, or fear to compel you to respond?

Unusual Payment Methods: Is the AI impersonation asking you to use a different or unusual payment method for sending money?

Secrecy: Is the AI impersonation asking you not to tell anyone about what you’ve been contacted about?

Follow and Maintain Cybersecurity Recommendations and Hygiene

Despite knowing what to look for and training yourself to listen to your gut when things don’t’ feel right, you could still end up being deceived by an AI impersonation. Knowing which topics, causes, and/or people trigger your emotions to override your reason is difficult to identify in the moment. This is why following and maintaining cybersecurity recommendations and hygiene is your next line of defense to protect yourself. RB’s Computer Service can help you implement a comprehensive computer and network security plan.

Some basic cybersecurity recommendations include:

Creating a special passphrase or code word to prove identity.
Securing accounts with passkeys.
Using strong, unique passwords combined with two-factor authentication, if passkeys are unavailable.
Pairing unique passwords or passkeys with unique user IDs or email masks.
Running security software on your PC.
Give only the most necessary information only to conduct business.
Avoid sharing personal info with AI chatbots.
Backup Computer Data and your Network

For more cybersecurity recommendations, check these helpful blogs, “4 Easy Tasks to Supercharge Computer Security” and “Computer Backup and Data Recovery Strategy 101.” If you need help implementing a comprehensive computer and network security plan, contact RB’s Computer Service today, we would be glad to help at help@rbsmn.com or call us at 763-441-3884.

Bottom Line

In this new era of AI, it is probably a good idea to be suspicious of all online content. Verify content first, then trust. In our busy lives, this is easier said than done. But, if you know what could come at you, and you follow your gut when something doesn’t feel right, you might be able to avoid being deceived by an AI impersonation. If you do get duped, your next line of defense is a comprehensive computer and network security plan. RB’s Computer Service has customized Managed IT Service Agreements that include comprehensive computer and network security plans, which are uncomplicated and affordable. To learn more, check out our blog Are You Big Enough to Pay Ransomware? In addition to cybersecurity, RB’s Computer Service provides ransomware strategies and sells the best commercial-grade firewall routers, best laptop computers, best desktop computers, business computers, computer parts, and computer monitors. We also provide computer repair, iPhone and smartphone repair, and tablet repairs to customers and clients throughout central Minnesota and St. Cloud. Don’t hesitate to contact at help@rbsmn.com or call us at 763-441-3884.