Research to Combat AI Scams

ChatGPT, DALL-E, and other freely available AI tools are currently causing quite a stir. They support and streamline all kinds of tasks and are extremely useful in many situations. But like any technology, these smart AI applications also have their downsides: Our IT forensics experts see a major risk of fraud schemes in the countless possibilities offered by machine-assisted creation of text, audio files, images, and videos. "We are living in the age of scams," they note.

That’s because scams—such as the “grandchild scam” or calls from the (supposed) Federal Criminal Police Office—are taking on a new dimension thanks to AI. Chat messages can be generated by the dozens in a matter of seconds using text-based AI like ChatGPT, allowing scammers to target many victims simultaneously while still making the messages seem personalized. Video clips of the victim’s own children can be created using AI to feign familiarity. For financial scams, fraudsters could use AI to generate graphics on a fake website that suggest high stock market returns. And callers who use AI to mimic the voice of a family member and ask for money are far more credible than the traditional “grandchild scam.”

Some of the most common scams:

• Love scams: These types of scams are a problem on dating and matchmaking sites; estimates put their prevalence in the low double digits. The scammers first build a trusting relationship through chat messages and supposedly genuine, private photos, and then eventually ask for money because they are in a fabricated emergency situation.
• Financial scams: Also frequently found on dating sites, but also on professional social media platforms. Here, the scammers claim to work in the financial sector, dealing with high-risk investments or similar ventures. The victim invests a sum of money and receives regular status updates about their supposed profits, for example via fake websites.
• Apartment scams: Beautiful apartments are advertised on real estate portals at very favorable terms—after making an inquiry, interested parties receive a positive response stating that they can rent the apartment. However, the landlord is said to be abroad and therefore unable to meet in person; after paying a deposit or similar, the keys are then sent by mail. While the emails used to be written in broken German, ChatGPT writes emails in very good German, which makes the scam not quite as obvious.
• Scam calls: The Federal Criminal Police Office, a police station, Interpol, or a similar agency is mentioned, and the victim is pressured over the phone to transfer money quickly. Alleged Microsoft employees or, in a classic scenario, a relative (grandchild, son/daughter, etc.) also call and claim to urgently need money.