AI Scams: How to Spot Them and What to Do First

AI scams are ordinary scams with better disguises: a cloned voice of a relative in a fake emergency, a deepfaked executive or official on a video call, flawless AI-written phishing and romance messages, fake AI trading bots, fake AI tools and fake reviews. The FBI and FTC give the same core defence for all of them: slow down, do not trust the voice or the face, verify through a second channel you chose yourself (hang up and call back on a number you already know), agree a family secret word, never pay with gift cards, crypto or wire transfers on request, and report it.

The short version

1. Stop and slow down. Almost every scam in this guide depends on urgency. An emergency that cannot wait ten minutes for a phone call is a warning sign in itself.
2. Do not trust the voice or the face. The FTC's consumer alert of 20 March 2023 tells people not to trust the voice. Instead, call the person who supposedly contacted you, using a phone number you know is theirs.
3. Hang up and call back on a number you find independently. The FBI's alert of 3 December 2024 gives this advice for organisations as well as people: look up the number yourself, do not use the one the caller gives you.
4. Ask for the family secret word. The FBI recommends agreeing a secret word or phrase with family members to verify identity (December 2024 and May 2025 alerts).
5. If you cannot reach the person, try another family member or a friend, as the FTC suggests in its March 2023 alert.

Go deeper

• Full guide, with the reasoning, the sources and an FAQ: AI Scams: How to Spot Them and What to Do First
• Practise it: AI Scam Spotter Lab is a scored scenario where you make the calls and see what each one costs.
• More checklists and labs: the PlayCISO cyber hygiene checklist and all tools.

Originally published on PlayCISO. Drafted with AI assistance.