FBI: ‘Cybercriminals use generative AI for all sorts of fraud schemes’

Cybercriminals are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to commit fraud on a larger scale, including creating texts, images, videos, and audio.

Generative AI reduces the time and effort criminals have to spend to deceive their targets, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) says in a public service announcement.

“These tools assist with content creation and can correct for human errors that might otherwise serve as warning signs of fraud,” the intelligence agency says.

The creation of this so-called ‘synthetic content’ isn’t illegal. However, it can be used by cybercriminals to facilitate their criminal activities.

Because generative AI is getting better and better, it becomes harder to identify fraud schemes. To generate public awareness, the FBI has put out a warning to all US citizens, including dozens of examples of how to recognize AI-generated fraud and tips on how to protect yourself.

AI-generated text is being used in romance, investment, and other confidence schemes, for example, to create fictitious social media profiles, convincing phishing messages, and compelling content for fraudulent websites. By eliminating grammatical or spelling errors, a financial fraud scheme becomes more credible, leading to more victims.

Cybercriminals misuse AI-generated images to create believable social media profile photos, forged identification documents, counterfeit products, and sextortion schemes. For example, a fake driver’s license can be used to commit identity fraud. AI-generated photos can also be used to convince a victim he’s talking to a real person. In the case of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), it can be used to extort a person.

In addition, generative AI is also being used for voice cloning and creating deepfake videos. Criminals recreate a loved one’s voice to impersonate this person and convince a victim to transfer money. If a president’s voice is being cloned in a fake video, this can cause all sorts of disturbances, including civil unrest and market manipulation.

The FBI provides several tips to protect yourself against AI-generated fraud schemes. To verify your friend’s or family’s identity, you can create a secret word or phrase. Another tip is to look for imperfections and fake elements in pictures and videos, like unrealistic movements or distorted body parts.

“Never share sensitive information with people you have met only online or over the phone. Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone,” the FBI concludes.