The new scams AI makes possible

Scams didn't wait for AI. What has changed is that they cost less to make, can be personalised in seconds and have lost their most visible flaws. The fake message riddled with spelling mistakes, easy to spot, is giving way to a clean, polite message that calls you by your first name.

Five scenarios to know

• The fake call from a loved one: your son, your mother or a friend calls you in a panic from an unknown number, or texts you "Mum, I broke my phone, this is my new number". An accident, an arrest, a lost wallet: money is needed, right now. The voice sounds exactly like them, because it may have been cloned from a video posted online.
• The fake bank adviser: "We've detected a suspicious transaction on your account." The number displayed may be your real bank's, because the number that shows up on your screen can be faked. The goal: get you to approve a transaction, give a code or move your money to a so-called "safe account".
• The fake boss and the urgent transfer: at work, a message or call from the "director" asks for a confidential, rushed bank transfer. This is known as CEO fraud. With AI, the call can have their voice, and sometimes even take the form of a video call with their face.
• Fake shops and fake reviews: a shop imitating a real brand, hundreds of glowing reviews written in minutes, an ad in which a celebrity "recommends" an investment. The celebrity said nothing of the sort: the video was fabricated.
• Flawless phishing: the email or text about a parcel waiting, a fine, a refund. AI writes it in perfect English, in the right tone, and can tailor it to what you post online.

What they share: pressure, not technology

All these scams pull the same levers: urgency ("right now"), emotion (fear, affection, the lure of easy money), secrecy ("don't tell anyone") and an unusual way to pay (prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, a transfer to an unknown account). AI makes the setting more believable, but the script stays the same.

That's good news: you don't need to spot the technology to beat the scam. You just need to recognise the script.