AI Scams Are Getting Smarter: How to Spot Them and Protect Yourself

One of the downsides of the expanded use and sophistication of artificial intelligence is its appeal to cybercriminals, who are creating elaborate artificial intelligence scams that are costing consumers millions of dollars.

The problem has become so widespread that, for the first time, the FBI included an AI section in its annual Internet Crime Report for 2025, The FBI logged more than 22,000 complaints of AI scams, resulting in more than $893 million in reported losses.

Because it evolves so fast, AI’s biggest danger is how quickly it increases the speed, scale and sophistication of scams, according to Experian.

AI Scams Evolve Quickly

Scammers have long relied on software, phone calls, emails and texts to deceive their targets, but AI allows them to craft highly personalized messages and extend their reach on a much higher scale. AI has also given criminals powerful new tools to make those schemes more convincing and far more difficult to spot. They can now generate remarkably realistic video and audio designed to entice people to click a link, respond to an offer or surrender personal information.

Data shows that AI not only helps generate more scams, but ones that are more costly to victims.

Most people have heard of AI scams, but awareness increases with income level, according to Experian’s 2026 U.S. Identity and Fraud Report. About 95% of people with higher incomes know about AI scams, compared with about 74% of those with lower incomes.

Common Types of AI Scams

AI advancements have led to more realistic video and audio content; precise language use and computer-generated people that look so authentic they can be used to deceive online users. Called deepfakes, these video and audio files can sound exactly like a well-known person and can encourage someone to divulge personal information or money.

Among the most common frauds employing AI is pig butchering. People are lured into giving away personal information after someone gains their trust by sending text messages or emails, many of which are generated by AI. The scam’s name is derived from the practice of fattening up pigs for slaughter.

One of the earliest AI schemes, known as the Grandparent Scam, involves a scammer calling an individual claiming to be their grandchild or another family member who has been in an accident or arrested and needs money right away. Criminals can use AI to clone a voice sample of an individual to make the call sound more realistic, according to information from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  

Other AI scams to be aware of, according to Experian:

• Cyberattacks that rely on AI to create and deliver malware or ransomware.
• Agentic scam operations, in which AI creates an “agent” to carry out attacks.
• AI-generated websites that look like a legitimate company or that masquerade as the site of an existing company. Criminals use these sites to steal your personal information.

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Warning Signs of an AI Scam

AI-powered scams can be remarkably convincing, but there are usually red flags that something isn’t quite right. Watch for these warning signs before clicking a link, sharing personal information or sending money.

• The video and audio don’t match up on a video call.
• Videos and images that are so detailed they look too realistic.
• Delays between your question and the other person’s response.
• A website you never heard of offers fantastic bargains.
• Someone speaks with urgency, hoping you will act without thinking.
• Requests for payment or a down payment, often involving gift cards, cryptocurrency or cash, since these transactions can’t be reversed.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Assets

AAA’s ProtectMyID program, offered in conjunction with Experian, provides valuable protection against fraud and ID theft. The basic protection plan is free for AAA members. The program monitors your credit report, surveys the dark web for Social Security-number and email-address breaches and supplies support to resolve identity theft. Other monitoring services are available at an additional cost.

More ways you can protect yourself:

• Be wary of anyone who contacts you from an unfamiliar email or phone number.
• Don’t make any hasty decisions. Pause and take deep breaths before taking any action.
• Stop the conversation and call the person or organization back that contacted you.
• Don’t click on any links.
• Call a friend or relative if you have suspicions.
• If you decide to make a payment, make sure the transaction is reversible.
• Set up passwords or codes with family members so you can confirm the identity of someone contacting you claiming to be someone you know.
• Use multifactor identification on all your accounts.

What to Do If You are a Victim

If despite all your precautions, you are the victim of an AI scam, Experian recommends the following actions:

• If you sent anyone a payment, try to stop or reverse the transaction.
• File reports with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• If your identity was the target, file a complaint on the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov site.
• Place fraud alerts on your credit reports and consider freezing your credit.
• Even if you recently changed account passwords, change them again. If you think a credit card or bank account might have been exposed, close the account and open a new one.

AI’s applications and potential continue to evolve. While many of its uses are beneficial, in the hands of the wrong people, it can lead to costly scams.

What do you do to protect yourself from AI scams?

Don’t leave your identity to chance — activate your free ProtectMyID protection today.

Ellen R. Delisio

Ellen is a content producer for AAA Northeast, covering automotive, finance, public affairs and electric vehicle news. She is a former newspaper reporter with experience writing for print and online publications about everything from higher education to sustainability. She recently returned to her native Long Island after living in Connecticut for 20-plus years, and has never met a beach she didn’t like.