Seniors Beware: AI Gives Scammers A Powerful Weapon
Watch out: Even the picture on this page is AI: the young lady on the phone isn’t real!
Canada’s seniors should be more wary than ever of being scammed as artificial intelligence (AI) is making it easier than ever to perpetrate fraudulent behaviour. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre states that $503 million dollars has already been lost this year with over 28,000 people reporting being the victims of schemes ranging from identity theft to fake over-payments on non-existent bills to the so-called “grandparent” scam when a loved one suddenly asks for money to help them out of trouble. While these are time-worn schemes, AI has made them more effective than ever.
Take the grandparent ruse, one which has been used for years. It involves having someone call a senior—grandmother or father—pretending to be a beloved grandchild, who is in trouble and needs lots of money to bail themselves out of a terrible situation. When done effectively, the hysterical youngster is able to panic the grandparent into sending money immediately. The problem with such a scheme is that it’s dependent on the voice on the phone demanding help to sound like the senior’s grandkid.
AI can replicate voices. It’s astonishing how effective a tool this can be since a small sample of a grandchild’s real voice is enough to create a convincing intonation that can move a senior into making the wrong decision and send money. Seniors beware of voices–now they can be cloned.
AI can create deepfake videos. It’s not just audio that is in the malicious range of technically oriented scammers. Videos can be shot and edited to make it appear that loved ones are asking you for money. Or that you have won a prize but need to send money to get it. Such videos will be extremely realistic when executed well. Seniors beware of images—they can be faked.
AI can perpetrate punishing phishing attacks. Since the dawn of the digital age, phishing has been the main tool for scammers. Emails and texts appearing to be from banks and governments have “phished” money and identity details out of hundreds of thousands of good citizens, many of whom are seniors. With AI, the purported authenticity of such texts and social media programs will be harder to verify than ever. Seniors beware of emails—there will be phonies.
Bill VanGorder, CARP’s Advocacy and Education Officer, says: “Canada’s seniors deserve stronger protection from skilled fraudsters who prey on them. Current laws are too weak, leading to poor enforcement and minimal consequences for these criminals. Consider this: if someone robbed a bank and stole $5,000, they would likely face years behind bars. Yet a fraudster can steal $250,000 from a senior and receive little more than a slap on the wrist. This is unacceptable. Governments at all levels must take action to address this injustice and ensure seniors are safeguarded from such exploitation.”
What can be done to safeguard Canada’s seniors?
CARP is demanding:
- Increased investigative efforts by law authorities
- More meaningful penalties and sentences given to those found guilty of such crimes
- A comprehensive and unified approach to financial crimes
Consult CARP’s website to read more about scams and frauds.
What Do I Need to Know about Frauds and Scams in Canada?
https://www.carp.ca/our-advocacy/frauds-and-scams/
Avoiding Scams
https://www.carp.ca/2022/04/06/avoiding-scams/
Top Ten Scams
https://www.carp.ca/2011/01/17/top-ten-scams/
