You use AI every day without realizing it. When your email moves junk mail to your spam folder, that’s AI. When Netflix suggests a show you end up loving, that’s AI too. So is Google Maps rerouting you around traffic. Artificial intelligence has quietly become part of everyday life, and for the most part, it works in your favor. 

But there’s a newer, more powerful kind of AI that’s worth understanding. It can write messages, hold conversations, generate images, and even clone someone’s voice. It’s called generative AI, and while it has real benefits, it’s also what criminals are using to run smarter, more convincing scams. 

Today’s scams don’t look like the old ones 

Remember when you could spot a scam email because of the bad spelling and strange wording? Those days are mostly gone. Criminals now use AI to craft messages that are perfectly written and highly convincing, impersonating your bank, a delivery company, or even a family member. They can also create convincing deepfake videos of public figures promoting products or investments they never endorsed.

Voice cloning is one of the more unsettling developments. Generative AI can recreate someone’s voice from just a few seconds of audio. Criminals use this to make fake emergency calls that sound exactly like a person you trust, hoping to pressure you into sending money before you have time to think.

The good news? A few simple habits go a long way. If you get an alarming call from someone you know, hang up and call them back on a number you already have saved. And consider setting up a secret code word with the people closest to you, one a scammer could never guess. 

A few red flags worth knowing:

• Urgent or threatening language: “Your account will be closed!” or “Act within 24 hours”
• Any request for your password, ID number, or banking details: no real organization asks for these by email, text, or an unsolicited call
• A sender address that looks almost right but has a slight misspelling
• An offer that seems too good to be true
• A panicked call from someone you know: hang up and call them back using a number you already have saved 

No legitimate emergency requires you to send money by wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. These payment methods are almost always a sign of a scam.

Your privacy matters when using AI tools 

AI tools like chatbots and voice assistants are genuinely useful for everyday tasks like looking things up, writing a letter, or translating text. But they do collect information, and it’s worth knowing how. 

Before using any AI tool regularly, take a few minutes to check its privacy settings. Look for options to turn off chat history or opt out of having your conversations used to train the AI. And no matter how secure a tool seems, never share your passwords, banking details, or government ID number with a chatbot or voice assistant. Learn more about the risks of oversharing with AI tools in this blog. 

One more thing worth keeping in mind: AI is often confidently wrong. It can state incorrect information as if it were fact, a phenomenon sometimes called a “hallucination.” Always verify anything important with a second, trusted source, especially when it comes to your health, finances, or legal matters. 

Want a clear, easy-to-read guide you can keep and share?

We created Understanding Artificial Intelligence (AI): What You Need to Know to Stay Safe, a free resource designed specifically to help you navigate AI with confidence. It covers how AI works, how criminals are using it, how to protect your privacy, and what to do if something feels off. Download your free copy below.