{"id":77,"date":"2026-07-31T19:02:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/?p=77"},"modified":"2026-07-31T19:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:07:48","slug":"your-guide-to-staying-safe-from-ai-powered-scams-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/?p=77","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Staying Safe From AI-Powered Scams in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Big Picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AI scams cost Americans\u00a0nearly $893 million\u00a0in 2025 (FBI IC3 report) across\u00a022,364 complaints\u00a0\u2014 the FBI included an AI section in its report for the first time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Older adults are a prime target because scammers can use social media data to make attacks highly personalized and believable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 5 Main Types of AI Scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Type<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">How It Works<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Real Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Voice cloning<\/td><td>Uses seconds of audio to clone someone&#8217;s voice in real-time calls<\/td><td>&#8220;Grandparent scam&#8221; \u2014 caller claims grandchild was arrested, demands bail money; one victim transferred money to Mexico for hours<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Deepfakes<\/td><td>Fabricated photos\/videos\/voice that look\/sound real<\/td><td>Fake kidnapping proof sent to family demanding ransom; celebrity endorsements of fake health products<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Phishing emails<\/td><td>AI-generated emails that bypass spam filters, personalized with your data<\/td><td>Emails from bank\/government urging immediate action, impossible to distinguish from real ones<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fake websites<\/td><td>AI-built sites identical to legitimate ones for fraud<\/td><td>Crypto scams, prize giveaways \u2014 you enter your info and lose it all<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Automated malware<\/td><td>AI creates software that evades antivirus detection<\/td><td>Steals passwords, credit cards, login credentials automatically<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Red Flags to Watch For<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Personal information requests from strangers\u00a0\u2014 SSN, bank details out of nowhere<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outdated\/stale content\u00a0in documents or links they send<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Uncanny&#8221; AI language\u00a0\u2014 odd phrasing, repetitive words like &#8220;delve&#8221; or &#8220;vital&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Urgent pressure to act fast\u00a0\u2014 designed so you don&#8217;t have time to think<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unusual payment methods\u00a0\u2014 gift cards, crypto, wire transfers (untraceable)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visual\/audio inconsistencies\u00a0in video\/voice contacts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Crypto\/investment pitches on social media\u00a0\u2014 fake accounts, fabricated activity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Protect Yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Call back anyone claiming urgent trouble on their known number (not the one they called from)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a\u00a0family code word\u00a0only close family know \u2014 if the &#8220;grandchild&#8221; can&#8217;t recite it, hang up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enable\u00a0two-factor authentication\u00a0everywhere<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change passwords every few months minimum (freeze credit for best protection)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch your accounts vigilantly after any suspicious contact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Install security tools like Trend Micro Check for real-time deepfake detection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share what you know with family and friends<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If You&#8217;ve Been Scammed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stop communicating\u00a0\u2014 don&#8217;t engage or click anything more<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verify the situation\u00a0through a trusted person<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change all passwords\u00a0and monitor accounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report it\u00a0to FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), local law enforcement, National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider a\u00a0credit freeze\u00a0at all three bureaus<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bottom Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowledge is the primary defense. AI scams are evolving rapidly but always share common patterns \u2014 urgency, unusual payment requests, and overly polished language. If it feels &#8220;off,&#8221; trust that instinct and verify through a second channel before doing anything.<br><br>Call your local law enforcement office if you are unsure or feel pressured to act now.  When anyone is pressuring you with time limits, asking you to send money, purchase gift cards, send money transfers,  or demand access to your online banking.  You are not alone; law enforcement or a trusted friend\/relative can help give you advice. <br><br>FBI Internet Crime Report <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025_IC3Report.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of 2025_IC3Report.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-eaa08e7b-c751-4518-b9a5-e653ca440ea8\" href=\"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025_IC3Report.pdf\">2025_IC3Report<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025_IC3Report.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-eaa08e7b-c751-4518-b9a5-e653ca440ea8\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Big Picture The 5 Main Types of AI Scams Type How It Works Real Example Voice cloning Uses seconds of audio to clone someone&#8217;s voice in real-time calls &#8220;Grandparent scam&#8221; \u2014 caller claims grandchild was arrested, demands bail money; one victim transferred money to Mexico for hours Deepfakes Fabricated photos\/videos\/voice that look\/sound real Fake [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":85,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[12,13],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-safety","tag-ai-safety","tag-cyber-crimes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions\/80"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/85"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olderfriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}