Trend Micro warns that AI-powered chatbots are luring people into fake online relationships to scam them out of money, particularly through “pig butchering scams” involving long-term deception and cryptocurrency fraud.
“Basically, they’re trying to get these people to be involved with them on a personal level. But instead of having an actual person do it, they use AI to do this step,” said Raymond Almanon, Senior Threat Researcher at Trend Micro Philippines.
AI-driven “digital twins” are also a rising threat, using leaked personal data to mimic identities for scams, fraud, or espionage.
“When deployed with deepfake video/audio and compromised biometric data, they could be used to convince identity fraud or ‘honeytrap’ a friend, colleague, or family member,” Trend Micro warned.
Cybercriminals are also using AI-powered “malvertising”, creating highly convincing scam ads that trick users into clicking malicious links or downloading harmful files.
To combat AI-driven fraud, Trend Micro launched ScamCheck, an app that detects scams in images, text, and video calls, including deepfake technology.
AI-Powered Chatbots and Deepfakes Used in Sophisticated Scam Schemes, Cybersecurity Firm Warns
