Hyper-Personalized Emails and Texts

Traditional phishing messages were often sent to thousands of people at once. AI now allows criminals to produce highly customized messages quickly.

A fraudulent email might appear to come from a coworker and refer to a real project. A text could mention a recent purchase, subscription or delivery. Another message might imitate your bank, employer or utility company and claim that immediate action is required.

The FBI has warned that criminals are using AI to create convincing emails, voice messages and videos as part of fraud schemes targeting individuals and businesses. Phishing and spoofing also continue to rank among the most frequently reported types of internet crime.

Do not assume a message is legitimate simply because it contains correct personal details or professional-looking language. Information about you may be publicly available or may have been exposed through an unrelated data breach.

Before clicking a link or opening an attachment, pause and inspect the message. Look closely at the sender’s complete email address, not just the display name. Be cautious of shortened links, unexpected login requests, and messages asking for passwords, account numbers, or verification codes.

Deepfake CEO and Workplace Fraud

Businesses face another growing threat: criminals impersonating executives, vendors or trusted employees.

In a business email compromise scheme, a fraudster may pose as a company leader and request an urgent wire transfer, gift-card purchase or change to a vendor’s payment instructions. The message may arrive by email, text, voice memo or even a realistic video call.

With voice-cloning technology, a criminal may sound like a company’s CEO or a familiar manager. The Federal Trade Commission has cautioned that scammers can clone an executive’s voice and use it to pressure employees into paying fake invoices or transferring large amounts of money.

Employees and business owners should verify every unusual financial request through a separate, trusted channel. Call the person using a number already saved in your contacts or listed in the company directory. Never rely on the phone number, link, or contact information supplied in the suspicious message.

Businesses can also reduce risk by requiring approval from more than one person for wire transfers, vendor-payment changes and other high-value transactions.

When a Loved One’s Voice Is Not Proof

Imagine receiving a call from a frightened child, grandchild or spouse. The voice sounds right. The caller knows family details and claims to need money immediately because of an accident, arrest or medical emergency.

Unfortunately, the voice may be fake.

According to the FTC, criminals may need only a short audio clip, possibly taken from a video posted online, to create a convincing voice clone. Scammers often combine the cloned voice with pressure, secrecy, and demands for hard-to-recover payments.

If you receive an emergency call, hang up and contact your loved one directly. Call another relative or trusted person who can confirm the situation. Consider creating a private family verification word or question that is not posted online.

Never send money, cryptocurrency, or gift-card information solely because a caller sounds familiar.

Slow Down, Verify and Protect Your Accounts

AI-powered scams are designed to make you react before you think. Your strongest defense is to interrupt that sense of urgency.

Use trusted contact information to verify unexpected requests. Enable multifactor authentication on important accounts, but never share a one-time security code with someone who contacts you. Use strong, unique passwords and keep your devices and security software updated.

Regularly review your accounts through online or mobile banking and activate available account alerts so you can identify unusual activity quickly.

If you believe you shared information or sent money to a scammer, contact us immediately. Acting quickly may help protect your accounts and improve the possibility of recovering transferred funds. You can also report internet-enabled fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and impersonation scams to the Federal Trade Commission.

AI may make phishing more believable, but it does not make it unstoppable. Pause, verify through a trusted source, and remember: a familiar name, polished message, or recognizable voice is no longer enough to prove who is really contacting you.