Seniors Vulnerable to Fraudsters Using Artificial Intelligence in Scams, Florida Watchdog Warns

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Florida’s consumer watchdog has warned that fraudsters are using artificial intelligence technology to con vulnerable residents, especially the elderly, into giving them money, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Known as AI, artificial intelligence technology enables machines to imitate human interaction and content: it can use images and information pulled from social media and other online sources to create texts, emails, and even convincing and personalized voice messages.

Giving its warning in a recent bulletin, Florida’s state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services gave a particular example of the “grandparent” scam that is carried out using AI, the Post reports. Fraudsters pull audio and video clips found online and combine the content with AI to pretend they are, for example, a family member who needs a sum of money to be immediately transferred for the purpose of bail or hospital bill. Such scams typically emphasize the need for money to be transferred very quickly.

The Department has issued Guidelines for protecting consumers against being scammed, including:

• • Encourage family members to set their social media pages to private.
  • Don’t trust caller ID. Scammers can falsify the information sent to your telephone’s display to make their call look like it came from a jail, hospital, police station, or whatever suits their purpose.
  • Agree on a private password that family members can request, and establish security questions with answers that can’t be found in internet searches, social media posts, and profiles.
  • Stay calm and take standard precautions, including hanging up and calling the person at a number known to be theirs.
  • Listen for clues to a con, like incorrect or mispronounced names or unfamiliar terms of endearment.

“If you have been scammed, the sooner you take action, the better your chances of recovering your money,” the Post advised in its report. “If you report the incident before the scammer has cashed in, you may be able to cancel the transaction. Contact your credit card company or bank if you paid with a credit or debit card, explain the situation, and ask for a “chargeback” to reverse the charge,” the Post said.

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