Legal expert shares advice on looking out for AI scams - KBTX News 3
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BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Scammers are getting smarter, and artificial intelligence is giving them a serious upgrade. National Bar Association President Ashley Upkins says the threats are evolving fast—and no one is immune.
“We’re moving from an era where seeing was believing to one where verification is believing,” Upkins said.
Gone are the days when a sketchy email with bad grammar was easy to spot. Today, AI allows criminals to craft flawless messages, clone voices, and even generate convincing videos—all with little technical skill required.
One of the most alarming new threats is voice cloning. Criminals need only a few seconds of audio—often pulled from social media—to create a convincing imitation of someone you know and trust. Imagine getting a call that sounds exactly like your child or best friend saying they’ve been arrested or need money immediately. That voice may be completely fake.
It’s not just everyday consumers at risk. Businesses are being targeted, too. Criminals are mimicking CEOs’ voices from public interviews to trick employees into wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars—sometimes millions.
And don’t assume younger generations are safe. Upkins says that’s “the biggest lie out there.” In fact, younger people who post frequently on social media may be more vulnerable, since they provide more raw material for scammers to work with.
If you do fall victim, Upkins’ top advice is simple: slow down. Scammers thrive on urgency—“wire the money now,” “don’t tell anyone,” “I need help immediately.” Pausing to verify can stop a scam in its tracks. She also recommends creating a family safe word to confirm the identity of loved ones over the phone, contacting your bank immediately if money was transferred, changing your passwords, and reporting the incident to the FBI at ic3.gov or the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
“Criminals panic when you start to slow down,” Upkins said, “because that’s when judgment kicks in.”
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