This new scarily realistic AI-call scam is targeting Gmail users
Convincing phishing attempts and scams are getting harder to detect
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For a long time, email phishing scams have often been a poorly-worded, typo-ridden, desperate plea for funds, that will of course be paid back tenfold. Well, now that our guard is down, AI is here to make sure we don’t get too comfortable.
A new, hyper-realistic scam is hitting Gmail users, and the AI-powered deceptions are capable of fooling even the most tech-savvy amongst us. In this new wave of fraud, the classic ‘Gmail account recovery’ phishing attack is paired with an ultra-realistic voice-call to trick users into a panic.In a recentblog post,Microsoftsolutions consultant, Sam Mitrovic, explained how he almost fell victim to the elaborate scam, and he recounts an account recovery notification that was followed by a very real sounding phone call from ‘GoogleAssistant’.
Don’t get caught out
Mitrovic revealed repeated emails and calls were sent from seemingly legitimate addresses and numbers, and that the way he cottoned on to the scam was by manually checking his recent activity on Gmail.
This is part of a worrying larger trend of a ‘deepfakes’, which arealready targeting businessesand consumers more than ever. Criminals can use ultra realistic video or audio footage to trick unsuspecting users into transferring over funds or information.
Almost half of businesses have reported encountering deepfake fraud already in 2024, and the trend looks set to continue.
The key to staying safe from this type of scam is by staying vigilant and taking your time - criminals will almost always try to rush you into a decision or into handing over money or details, but by taking a step back to evaluate, you can get perspective and even an outside assessment from someone you can trust.
ViaForbes
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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.
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