A phone call comes in from someone you love.
They sound frightened. Maybe they say they've been in an accident. Maybe they're stranded somewhere. Maybe they're in legal trouble.
And they need money right now.
You recognize the voice.
But here's the uncomfortable reality:
The voice may not actually be theirs.
Artificial intelligence is changing many parts of everyday life for the better. But the same technology can also make scams much more convincing.
The FBI has warned that criminals are using AI-generated audio, images, video, fake profiles and personalized messages in fraud schemes. In 2025 alone, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 22,000 complaints involving AI-related information, with reported adjusted losses exceeding $893 million.
And impersonation scams aren't limited to AI. The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, making impersonation one of today's major fraud threats.
Seeing — and hearing — is no longer enough
For years, one of our natural defenses against scams was familiarity.
"I know my daughter's voice."
"That's my friend's picture."
"The caller ID says it's my bank."
Those clues aren't as dependable as they once were.
AI can help criminals imitate voices, generate convincing images and create messages that sound remarkably natural. Caller ID can also be spoofed, and scammers can use publicly available photographs and information to make their stories more believable.
That doesn't mean we should become suspicious of everything we see and hear.
It means we need to add one more habit:
Verify another way.
If someone claiming to be your child, grandchild, spouse, friend or coworker unexpectedly asks for money or sensitive information, don't rely only on the incoming call or message.
Hang up.
Call that person using a number you already know.
If you can't reach them, contact another family member or trusted person who can help verify the situation. The FTC specifically recommends independently contacting the person supposedly involved rather than trusting the voice on the call.
Urgency is often part of the trick
Scammers don't want to give us time to think.
They may say:
"Don't tell anyone."
"You have to do this immediately."
"Your account will be frozen."
"I'm in trouble."
"Move your money before it's too late."
Urgency and secrecy are common warning signs in emergency and impersonation scams.
When somebody creates pressure to act immediately, that's often exactly when we should slow down.
Your bank doesn't need you to “protect” your money by moving it
Another increasingly costly type of impersonation begins with a supposed security warning.
Someone claiming to represent a bank, business or government agency tells you that your money is in danger and instructs you to transfer it somewhere “safe.”
The FTC says some of the costliest impersonation scams begin this way. In 2025, consumers reported nearly $1 billion in losses to business impersonators, with bank impersonators producing the highest reported losses in that category.
Never use the phone number, website or link supplied by the unexpected caller or message to verify the story.
Instead, open your bank's official app, use the number printed on your card, or independently locate the organization's official contact information.
Consider a family verification phrase
Families can also create their own simple layer of protection.
Agree on a private word, phrase or question that family members can use when something unusual happens.
It shouldn't be something easily discovered from social media—such as a pet's name, birthday or hometown.
And don't treat a family phrase as your only protection. If money or sensitive information is involved, independently call the person back anyway.
Think of it as one additional checkpoint.
Be careful with what you share publicly
Photos, videos and voice recordings are part of modern life. There's no need to disappear from the internet.
But it is worth understanding that publicly available media can potentially be misused.
The FBI advises people to be cautious about the photos, audio and videos they make publicly available because bad actors can use this material to help create deepfakes and other AI-generated content.
Reviewing the privacy settings on social-media accounts occasionally is a sensible habit.
Strengthen the basics, too
AI may be new, but many of the best defenses are surprisingly traditional.
Use strong, unique passwords or passphrases.
Use a password manager if it helps you avoid reusing passwords.
Enable multifactor authentication—or passkeys when a trusted service offers them.
Keep your phone, computer, browser and apps updated.
Be cautious with unexpected links and attachments.
And never give someone a password, authentication code or verification number simply because they contacted you and asked for it.
AI isn't the enemy
It's important to keep this in perspective.
Artificial intelligence itself isn't a scam. It is a powerful technology being used for legitimate work, education, creativity, accessibility, research and countless other purposes.
The problem is that powerful tools can also be misused.
Our response shouldn't be fear.
It should be awareness.
The digital world will continue changing. Some scams will become more sophisticated, and some things that once seemed impossible to fake will become increasingly difficult to authenticate by sight or sound alone.
But one simple habit remains remarkably powerful:
Stop. Verify independently. Then act.
Because in the age of AI, the smartest security technology you have may still be taking an extra minute before you trust what you're seeing or hearing.
CryptoCaRLo.ai — Learn today. Prepare for tomorrow.
Educational note: This article is for general education and digital-safety awareness. Specific security procedures may change as technology evolves.
