INTERPOL launched a public awareness campaign on 19 October warning that AI-made fake videos, voices and images (deepfakes) are increasingly used to scam private citizens, not just to impersonate public figures. Its slogan is “Wait. Validate. Don’t take the bait.” “AI is erasing the tell-tale signs of a scam,” said Toshinobu Yasuhira, Director of the INTERPOL Innovation Centre.
Four days earlier, the FBI warned that scammers are using AI to create “highly realistic voices, images, and written messages that impersonate candidates” ahead of the US midterm elections, to take money or personal details through fake donation requests and fake political action committees.
Why it matters: poor grammar, odd voices and blurry video used to give scams away. Both agencies say those clues can no longer be relied on, so checking the request matters more than judging how it looks or sounds.
What to do: be wary of unexpected contact that pushes you to act fast or keep it secret. Check any request for money through a number or website you already trust. Agree a safe word with close family. Turn on two-factor authentication. In the US, check that a political committee is genuine before donating, and report fraud at ic3.gov.