Common AI-Related Frauds
AI-related frauds use advanced technologies such as deepfakes, voice cloning, and automated messaging to impersonate trusted individuals and manipulate victims. These frauds follow structured methods that exploit trust, urgency, and personal data, making them harder to detect than traditional scams.
Below are some of the common AI-enabled frauds which were in news
- 1. Deepfake Video and Voice Impersonation
AI is used to clone voices or create fake video calls of police officers, executives, or family members to demand money or sensitive information.
Links:
• AI Scams Surge in India: Voice cloning & deepfakes leave victims helpless — Indian Express The Indian Express
• Deepfake scams and AI voice spoofing dangers — McAfee guidance article McAfee
- 2. AI-Generated Phishing and Smishing
Fraudsters use AI to create professional-looking emails and SMS messages that mimic banks, utilities, or government agencies to steal credentials or money.
Links:
• Cyber criminals go personal with AI-enabled scams this festive season — Times of India The Times of India
• AI-driven scams spike with fake retailer phishing emails — VarIndia report VARINDIA
- 3. AI-Based Identity Theft and Synthetic Identities
Leaked personal data is combined using AI to create fake identities, enabling loan frauds, SIM swaps, and financial misuse.
Links:
• 71% Indians worry about AI scams in retail events using fake sites and texts — McAfee study McAfee
• Synthetic identity fraud accelerating with AI and deepfakes — Cape Town Cape Town
- 4. AI-Powered Social Engineering Scams
AI analyses social media and online activity to craft highly personalised scams such as fake job offers, investment schemes, or romance frauds.
Links:
• Festive season behavioural scams using AI personalisation — Times of India The Times of India
- 5. Automated AI Fraud Networks
AI bots run large-scale scams by handling messages, calls, fake documents, and payment requests continuously with minimal human involvement.
Links:
• AI powering scam assembly lines with automation — TrendMicro commentary (Reddit summary) Reddit
- 6. AI Voice Cloning Emergency Scams
Cloned voices of family members are used to simulate distress situations like kidnappings or medical emergencies to extort money.
Links:
• Chilling rise of AI voice cloning scams — Times of India The Times of India
• AI voice cloning and deepfake threat report — NDTV news summary www.ndtv.com
- 7. Deepfake Investment and Celebrity Endorsement Scams
AI-generated videos of public figures falsely promote investment schemes promising unrealistic returns.
Links:
• Beware of deepfake scams promoting unrealistic schemes — Times of India The Times of India
• 90% Indians exposed to fake deepfake endorsements — Business Standard report Business Standard
- 8. AI-Based Exam and Recruitment Impersonation
AI face-mixing and image manipulation are used to bypass identity verification in online exams or recruitment processes.
Links:
• AI tools and synthetic IDs fracturing KYC and recruitment authenticity — Bankinfo Security Bankinfo Security