A Growing Threat Fueled by AI
Heidi Swan, a 62-year-old healthcare worker, thought she was making a smart investment when she saw an ad featuring Elon Musk on Facebook and TikTok. She opened an account for over $10,000, only to discover she had been scammed by a sophisticated deepfake.
Deepfakes, videos manipulated using artificial intelligence to make someone appear to say or do something they never did, are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated. As AI technology evolves, these scams are becoming more difficult to detect and are costing individuals and businesses billions of dollars.
According to Deloitte, a leading financial research group, AI-generated content contributed to more than $12 billion in fraud losses last year, and could reach $40 billion in the U.S. by 2027. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have issued warnings about the rise of deepfake scams.
Professor Christopher Meerdo at the University of North Texas uses artificial intelligence to create art. He believes that AI will not replace the creative arts, but rather augment them and change the way we understand creativity. However, he also acknowledges the dangers of AI. He demonstrates how scammers can use AI tools to replace a person's voice and mouth movements in a real video, making them appear to say something completely different.
Advances in technology are making it easier to create deepfake videos. All a person who's familiar with AI needs to make one is a single still image and a video recording. Meerdo demonstrates this by creating a deepfake of Elon Musk using a video of investigative reporter Brian New.
These AI-generated videos are hardly perfect, but they just need to be convincing enough to deceive an unsuspecting victim. Meerdo warns that scammers can use deepfakes to do "really bad things."
How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Scams
Be skeptical of online content, especially if it seems too good to be true.
Pay attention to the details. Look for unnatural lip movements, odd body language, or inconsistencies in the video.
Do your research. If you're unsure about the authenticity of a video, try to find the original source or search for information about the person featured.
Use deepfake detection tools. Several websites and apps can help you identify deepfakes.
Report suspicious content. If you come across a deepfake, report it to the platform where you found it and to the authorities.
By staying informed and taking precautions, you can protect yourself from falling victim to deepfake scams.