Latest news with #Britton
Axios
6 days ago
- Business
- Axios
AI is perfecting scam emails, making phishing hard to catch
AI chatbots have made scam emails harder to spot and the tells we've all been trained to look for — clunky grammar, weird phrasing — utterly useless. Why it matters: Scammers are raking in more than ever from basic email and impersonation schemes. Last year, the FBI estimates, they made off with a whopping $16.6 billion. Thwarting AI-written scams will require a new playbook that leans more on users verifying messages and companies detecting scams before they hit inboxes, experts say. The big picture: ChatGPT and other chatbots are helping non-English-speaking scammers write typo-free messages that closely mimic trusted senders. Before, scammers relied on clunky tools like Google Translate, which often were too literal in their translations and couldn't capture grammar and tone. Now, AI can write fluently in most languages, making malicious messages far harder to flag. What they're saying:"The idea that you're going to train people to not open [emails] that look fishy isn't going to work for anything anymore," Chester Wisniewski, global field CISO at Sophos, told Axios. "Real messages have some grammatical errors because people are bad at writing," he added. "ChatGPT never gets it wrong." The big picture: Scammers are now training AI tools on real marketing emails from banks, retailers and service providers, Rachel Tobac, an ethical hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security, told Axios. "They even sound like they are in the voice of who you're used to working with," Tobac said. Tobac said one Icelandic client who had never before worried about employees falling for phishing emails was now concerned. "Previously, they've been so safe because only 350,000 people comfortably speak Icelandic," she said. "Now, it's a totally new paradigm for everybody." Threat level: Beyond grammar, the real danger lies in how these tools scale precision and speed, Mike Britton, CISO at Abnormal Security, told Axios. Within minutes, scammers can use chatbots to create dossiers about the sales teams at every Fortune 500 company and then use those findings to write customized, believable emails, Britton said. Attackers now also embed themselves into existing email threads using lookalike domains, making their messages nearly indistinguishable from legitimate ones, he added. "Our brain plays tricks on us," Britton said. "If the domain has a W in it, and I'm a bad guy, and I set up a domain with two Vs, your brain is going to autocorrect." Yes, but: Spotting scam emails isn't impossible. In Tobac's red team work, she typically gets caught when: Someone practices what she calls polite paranoia, or when they text or call the organization or person being impersonated to confirm if they sent a suspicious message. A target uses a password manager and has complex, long passwords. They have multifactor authentication enabled. What to watch: Britton warned that low-cost generative AI tools for deepfakes and voice clones could soon take phishing to new extremes. "It's going to get to the point where we all have to have safe words, and you and I get on a Zoom and we have to have our secret pre-shared key," Britton said. "It's going to be here before you know it."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Man admits making threatening anti-Islamic and racist social media posts
A MAN from the West Midlands has admitted to two offences after posting threatening messages on social media that featured weapons. Richard Britton pleaded guilty to two counts of publishing or distributing threatening, abusive or insulting material between February and March 2023. Staffordshire police said Britton displayed anti-Islamic, racist and anti-immigration sentiments and used threatening language on his social media account. He also shared images of weapons online and encouraged others to do the same, with the account he used to make these posts being later suspended by Twitter. The 31-year-old was arrested during a pre-planned operation on 26 April 2023, and following a search of his address, weapons were recovered which matched those featured in his social media posts. Britton initially denied the offences, but he entered guilty pleas at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday (21 May). He will be sentenced on 25 July. Detective Superintendent Annie Miller, from Counter Terrorism Policing in the West Midlands who investigated, said: 'When we searched Britton's address following his arrest, we found machetes, fireworks and material matching the images he'd posted online. 'Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the wider West Midlands area."
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Brit woman, 21, rotting in Dubai hellhole jail without a shower for a month after being arrested on drugs charges
Ms Daggett's family claims that she has done nothing wrong and was rather lured to move to Dubai 'WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME' Brit woman, 21, rotting in Dubai hellhole jail without a shower for a month after being arrested on drugs charges Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT woman has been rotting inside a Dubai hellhole prison without a shower for a month after being arrested on alleged drug charges. Cops arrested Isabella Daggett, 21, just five weeks after she relocated to Dubai from Yorkshire after landing a new job. 7 Brit woman Isabella Daggett was arrested just weeks after relocating to Dubai Credit: Facebook 7 She has not taken a shower in over a month, her family claims Credit: Facebook 7 She was arrested by Dubai police along with another man soon after she set foot in the desert city Credit: Facebook And she has not taken a shower or even changed her clothes in months after being banged up in a prison in March, her family claims. It all happened when Ms Daggett was offered to work in Dubai earlier this year. The Britton was working for a businessman doing internet recruiting for construction sites in the UK, who offered to send her to the Middle East for a similar role. But she was arrested by Dubai police - along with another man - soon after she set foot in the desert city. Ms Daggett's family claims that she has done nothing wrong, has never used narcotics and was rather lured to move to Dubai. Her grandmother Heather Smith told the DailyMail: "Bella has been locked up because she was in the wrong company. Wrong place, wrong time. Wrong boyfriend. "The bloke she was working for said for her to come to Dubai, you'll love it there, the lifestyle is wonderful. Now she is locked up. "But she is innocent because they have done all the tests and there was nothing in her system." Mrs Smith described how the woman was being treated harshly inside the prison. She added: "She hasn't had a shower for a month, she hasn't had a change of clothes for three months. She has had nothing. Charlotte May Lee fears being locked away for 20yrs over £1.2m Sri Lanka drugs bust – & is 'aware' of Bella Culley case "Women get treated far worse than male prisoners, who get to go outside, they get sports, a PlayStation and a television - Bella has nothing. "She can speak to me and her mum every day though, which is good. But we have been in bits." It is understood that Ms Dagget was arrested alongside another man, with whom she was living at the time. The grandma said her family had warned Ms Dagget about the potential dangers of the Middle Eastern city with tough prison laws. She added: "She was arrested with a lad, who was not her boyfriend, with whom she was staying because things had fallen through with another house. "She didn't really like him that much.'He may be guilty of something, but she isn't." "We told Bella before she went to Dubai, 'you know the rules in Dubai, play by the rules, don't flaunt this, don't do that'." She added said she was going to move back to Leeds just before being arrested. It is not clear under what charges Ms Dagget was arrested. Ms Daggett's mum Lucinda Smith, with whom she ran a Leeds-based modelling agency, posted a GoFundMe page to help her daughter. The fundraiser read: "My daughter Isabella has been wrongfully detained in Dubai, and we are doing everything we can to prove her innocence and bring her back home. "We have proof she was not involved in these charges and are determined to fight for her freedom. The hideous conditions she is living in are enough to break any mother's heart. "The legal and travel expenses are overwhelming, and we need your support. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us cover the costs of legal fees, travel, and other necessary expenses." 7 Ms Daggett's family claims that she has done nothing wrong Credit: GoFundMe 7 The Britton was working for a businessman doing internet recruiting for construction sites in the UK, who offered to send her to the Middle East for a similar role Credit: Facebook In the last couple of weeks, two other Brit women were arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling. Glam tourist Bella Culley allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia and was locked away in a brutal ex-Soviet prison despite claiming to be pregnant. The 18-year-old was sent to the brutal Women's Penitentiary No. 5 in the town of Rustavi - a slammer notorious for its hellish conditions just outside Tbilisi. She had originally jetted to the Philippines to meet an old friend, but reportedly changed her plans last minute to go to Thailand with a gang of British lads unknown to her. A sentence ranging from 20 years to life could be a possibility for teen Bella from County Durham, according to prosecutors. Meanwhile, former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee was then caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka. Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl. If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence. There are also fears that both the "smuggling cases" could be linked. Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world. 7 Brit student Bella May Culley was arrested in Georgia after allegedly carrying drugs into the country from Thailand Credit: Tim Stewart
The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brit woman, 21, rotting in Dubai hellhole jail without a shower for a month after being arrested on drugs charges
A BRIT woman has been rotting inside a Dubai hellhole prison without a shower for a month after being arrested on alleged drug charges. Cops arrested Isabella Daggett, 21, just five weeks after she relocated to Dubai from Yorkshire after landing a new job. 7 Brit woman Isabella Daggett was arrested just weeks after relocating to Dubai Credit: Facebook 7 She has not taken a shower in over a month, her family claims Credit: Facebook 7 She was arrested by Dubai police along with another man soon after she set foot in the desert city Credit: Facebook And she has not taken a shower or even changed her clothes in months after being banged up in a prison in March, her family claims. It all happened when Ms Daggett was offered to work in Dubai earlier this year. The Britton was working for a businessman doing internet recruiting for construction sites in the UK, who offered to send her to the Middle East for a similar role. But she was arrested by Dubai police - along with another man - soon after she set foot in the desert city. read more world news Ms Daggett's family claims that she has done nothing wrong, has never used narcotics and was rather lured to move to Dubai. Her grandmother Heather Smith told the "The bloke she was working for said for her to come to Dubai, you'll love it there, the lifestyle is wonderful. Now she is locked up. "But she is innocent because they have done all the tests and there was nothing in her system." Most read in The Sun Mrs Smith described how the woman was being treated harshly inside the prison. She added: "She hasn't had a shower for a month, she hasn't had a change of clothes for three months. She has had nothing. Charlotte May Lee fears being locked away for 20yrs over £1.2m Sri Lanka drugs bust – & is 'aware' of Bella Culley case "Women get treated far worse than male prisoners, who get to go outside, they get sports, a PlayStation and a television - Bella has nothing. "She can speak to me and her mum every day though, which is good. But we have been in bits." It is understood that Ms Dagget was arrested alongside another man, with whom she was living at the time. The grandma said her family had warned Ms Dagget about the potential dangers of the Middle Eastern city with tough prison laws. She added: "She was arrested with a lad, who was not her boyfriend, with whom she was staying because things had fallen through with another house. "She didn't really like him that much.'He may be guilty of something, but she isn't." "We told Bella before she went to Dubai, 'you know the rules in Dubai, play by the rules, don't flaunt this, don't do that'." She added said she was going to move back to Leeds just before being arrested. It is not clear under what charges Ms Dagget was arrested. Ms Daggett's mum Lucinda Smith, with whom she ran a Leeds-based modelling agency, posted a page to help her daughter. The fundraiser read: "My daughter Isabella has been wrongfully detained in Dubai, and we are doing everything we can to prove her innocence and bring her back home. "We have proof she was not involved in these charges and are determined to fight for her freedom. The hideous conditions she is living in are enough to break any mother's heart. "The legal and travel expenses are overwhelming, and we need your support. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us cover the costs of legal fees, travel, and other necessary expenses." 7 Ms Daggett's family claims that she has done nothing wrong Credit: GoFundMe 7 The Britton was working for a businessman doing internet recruiting for construction sites in the UK, who offered to send her to the Middle East for a similar role Credit: Facebook In the last couple of weeks, The 18-year-old was sent to the brutal Women's Penitentiary No. 5 in the town of Rustavi - She had originally jetted to the Philippines to meet an old friend, but reportedly Thailand with a gang of British lads unknown to her. A sentence ranging from 20 years to life could be a possibility for teen Bella from County Durham, according to prosecutors. Meanwhile, former air stewardess drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka. Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl . If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence. There are also fears that both the "smuggling cases" Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world. 7 Brit student Bella May Culley was arrested in Georgia after allegedly carrying drugs into the country from Thailand Credit: Tim Stewart 7 Brit Charlotte May Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka after allegedly trying to smuggle in drugs Credit: Stephen Moyes
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Marietta Youth Detention Center assistant director punched, choked 14-year-old girl, police say
A former Marietta Youth Detention Center employee is charged with child cruelty. Police say the victim is a 14-year-old girl who was in custody at the youth detention center. Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell reported three witnesses listed in the arrest warrant allegedly saw the former assistant director, Vanderia Britton, punch and choke the girl at the facility. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police say he also hit the victim with a portable radio. Now, Britton is in the Cobb County Jail, less than one mile away from where he worked, and charged with cruelty to children, a felony. It's unclear what led up to the alleged attack, but court documents reveal how violent police say it was. Investigators say he punched the girl in the face before he placed his hands around her neck, choking her until she was on the floor. Investigators say the victim's injuries required stitches to her face. According to the arrest warrant, the incident happened in April. Britton was arrested earlier this week. He is being held without bond. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice said he resigned from his position while he was under investigation, and his behavior represents a clear violation of his oath of office. 'The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for actions like those exhibited by Britton, and we are committed to operating safe and secure facilities,' the agency said in a statement. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
