Artificial intelligence is making scams harder to recognize. A familiar voice, a convincing photograph, or an official-looking email is no longer proof of authenticity.
Imagine receiving a frantic phone call from your granddaughter. She has been in an accident, she’s frightened, and she desperately needs money. You recognize her voice. She even sounds like she’s crying.
There’s only one problem. Your granddaughter is perfectly safe at home. The voice on the phone was created using artificial intelligence.
Welcome to the new generation of scams, where criminals are using AI to make their lies more believable than ever.
A Growing Financial Threat
According to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans aged 60 and older reported losing $7.7 billion to internet-related crimes. That’s nearly $21 million every day.
The FBI also received more than 22,000 complaints involving artificial intelligence, with reported losses approaching $893 million across all age groups.
These numbers represent reported crimes. The full financial damage is likely much higher.
Older adults are attractive targets because many have retirement savings, investments, home equity, and established financial accounts. Criminals know this and increasingly use sophisticated technology to gain their trust.
Five Ways Criminals Are Using AI
1. The Grandchild Emergency Scam
Criminals use AI voice-cloning technology to imitate a family member. A short audio recording from social media or another source might provide enough material to produce a convincing imitation.
The caller claims to be injured, arrested, or stranded and urgently needs money. The scammer often insists on secrecy.
2. Fake Bank and Government Representatives
An unexpected caller claims to represent your bank, Medicare, Social Security, or the FBI.
AI helps criminals produce professional conversations, convincing emails, and realistic documents. Some even manipulate caller ID information to display a familiar institution’s name.
The goal is to obtain your account information, passwords, or money.
3. AI-Generated Romance Scams
Someone contacts you through Facebook, a dating website, or another social platform.
Their photographs look authentic. Their messages are thoughtful and personal. They remember details about your life and communicate regularly.
But the photographs might be AI-generated, and the messages might be produced by software. Eventually, the person requests money for an emergency, medical treatment, or an investment opportunity.
4. Fake Videos Featuring Trusted People
AI-generated videos, sometimes called deepfakes, depict celebrities, financial experts, or public officials appearing to endorse investments and products.
The person in the video might never have spoken those words.
A convincing face and familiar voice no longer guarantee a video is genuine.
5. Personalized Emails and Text Messages
Remember when scam emails were filled with spelling mistakes and awkward sentences?
AI has changed that.
Criminals now generate polished messages using your name, personal details, and information collected online.
A message might appear to come from your bank, a delivery company, or a trusted organization. Its purpose is to persuade you to click a malicious link, reveal information, or send money.
The Most Important Warning Sign: Urgency
Despite the technology, most scams still rely on an old-fashioned tactic: creating fear and forcing a quick decision.
Scammers want you to react emotionally before you have time to verify their story.
They might say your account will be frozen, your grandchild faces arrest, or your savings are in immediate danger.
Remember, legitimate institutions do not require you to transfer money to a supposedly safe account, purchase gift cards, or provide passwords to resolve an emergency.
Six Simple Ways to Protect Yourself
- Hang up and call back. If someone claims to be a family member, bank employee, or government representative, end the conversation and call a number you already know is legitimate.
- Establish a family safety word. Agree on a private word or phrase with family members to help verify an emergency. Never share it publicly.
- Never send money under pressure. Treat demands for immediate payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or cash deliveries as major warning signs.
- Question unexpected messages. Don’t click links or open attachments from unfamiliar or suspicious sources, even when they appear official.
- Protect your personal information. Limit publicly available details about your family, travel plans, finances, and daily activities.
- Talk to someone you trust. Before making an unexpected financial decision, discuss the situation with a family member, friend, or trusted professional.
Smart People Get Scammed, Too
One of the biggest misconceptions about fraud is the belief that only careless or uninformed people become victims.
Nothing is further from the truth.
Scammers deliberately exploit trust, fear, affection, and the instinct to help someone in trouble. They often spend days or weeks building relationships before requesting money.
Artificial intelligence makes these schemes more convincing.
Being educated, experienced, or comfortable with technology does not guarantee protection.
And embarrassment should never prevent someone from reporting a scam.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud
If you believe you’ve been targeted, stop communicating with the suspected scammer. If you’ve sent money or shared banking information, contact your financial institution immediately.
Report suspected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Quick reporting gives investigators information to identify criminal activity and sometimes helps financial institutions recover funds.
The Bottom Line
Artificial intelligence offers remarkable benefits, including tools that help older adults communicate, learn, and remain independent.
Unfortunately, criminals are exploiting the same technology.
The most important lesson is simple.
Don’t trust a voice simply because it sounds familiar. Don’t trust a photograph because it looks real. And never let someone else’s urgency become your financial emergency.
When something feels suspicious, stop, verify, and talk to someone you trust.
A few extra minutes of caution might protect a lifetime of savings.