Welcome to the age of artificial intelligence and social engineering! Skillful criminals are successfully using the capabilities of computers to exploit human vulnerabilities. Let’s begin with the basic vocabulary:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a system in which computers access a wide range of information to pre-determine results or predict outcomes. Whether AI is good or bad rests on the purpose for which it is used.
Social engineering is manipulating people to share information or behave in manners that are outside their normal conduct. It can be seen as the application of psychology to convince rational individuals to part with personal information and money.
Social engineering is a cornerstone of marketing and advertising but is also a foundation for scams and fraud.
We are familiar with the daily onslaught of phone calls, text messages, and emails impersonating government services, businesses, celebrities, and even friends or family members. These are generally called “fakes,” where the criminal pretends to be someone else: a government agent, business agent or a trusted friend. These “fakes” run the gamut from crude, poorly worded, or misspelled messages to highly sophisticated campaigns that use editing tools and graphics software. At times, determining the “fake” from the real message can be a challenge for even experienced programmers.
But things have changed. AI, social engineering, and knowledge of human psychology put the average person at a major disadvantage in this struggle.
The efforts are called “deepfakes,” synthetic media that has been digitally manipulated to replace one person’s likeness convincingly with that of another. Deepfakes utilize photos, graphics and audio to place others into images that are compromising, embarrassing, or simply fraudulent. At present, many of these efforts focus on public figures, entertainers, and politicians; people who are readily recognizable. Often, deepfakes are used to market products under the name of someone who is well known. Some deepfakes, for example, attempt to capitalize on entrepreneur Elon Musk. Given Musk’s reputation as an innovator, criminals promote devices such as the Elon Musk Watt Saver, claimed as Musk’s innovation that can save homeowners as much as 90 percent on electric bills. This particular scam is effective because of the plausibility that a creative innovator with a track record of success could deliver.
How does the average person on the street steer clear of sophisticated scams? There is no simple answer, but there are some critical behaviors to adopt:
Don’t allow celebrity status to be a primary influencer in your decision-making.
Apply common sense and logic to your behavior: is there any logic to obtaining a device for under $100 that will reduce your electric bill by 90 percent?
Whether or not the product has a high price tag, research it before doing anything. Don’t just take the word of the promotor as truth (even if it is Elon Musk)
Use well-known, reputable sources such as The Better Business Bureau, Consumer Reports, AARP. Don’t trust product reviews that are seen in social media and product advertising.
If you find yourself on the losing end of a scam, whether it is a simple fake or a deepfake, report it. There is no shame in being victimized by in a scam. Go online or call the Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov – 877-382-4357 or your Consumer Protection Office: Massachusetts â www.mass.gov/ago/consumer-resources/; New Hampshire â www.doj.NH.gov/consumer – 888-468-4454; Vermont â – 802-649-2424.
Elliott Greenblott is a retired educator and coordinator of the AARP Vermont Fraud Watch Network. He hosts a CATV program, Mr. Scammer, produced and distributed by GNAT-TV in Sunderland, VT â www.gnat-tv.org.
