Latest news with #scammers
Forbes
21 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How AI Is Fueling A New Wave Of Brand Impersonation
Daniel Shapiro is SVP of Brand Relationships & Strategic Partnerships at Red Points, leading global IP & e-commerce alliances. Depending on the list you find, there are anywhere from 2,000 to over 10,000 distinct AI tools on the market today. You might already be using some to improve your customer experience. But not everyone using AI tools has your customers' best interests in mind. Scammers have adopted their own AI tools that can copy branded websites and create hidden webshops at lightning speed. While AI boosts productivity for brands, it does the same for bad actors, ultimately allowing them to launch wider and more sophisticated attacks in less time than before. I've worked with brands facing these threats firsthand. In this piece, I'll break down how these tactics work, what they mean for customer trust and what steps brands can take to stay ahead. A New Generation Of Fake Websites Spam sites from the '90s or early 2000s were often obvious: crammed with ads, poorly coded HTML and deals that were too good to be true. Not anymore. Today, your customers can click on a believable social media ad to find a site that looks identical to yours, complete with correct product photos and user reviews. What's worse, many of these sites are only accessible by clicking on the ad. You could visit the domain on your own and not see any infringing content. Scammers can also deploy phishing sites to users on mobile devices, not desktops. A similar tactic is to restrict infringing sites to specific geographical regions. In this case, your customers on the other side of the globe could end up on spam sites that you can't access. Modern scam and counterfeit sales sites blend in with the real thing. It's easy for customers to be deceived when scammers present professional sites and evade enforcement with the tactics above. AI Is Powering Fraud-As-A-Service Prior to the vast AI tools, scammers at least had to put in some real effort to copy a site or steal credentials. Now they don't. AI tools like FraudGPT and phishing kits like Tycoon 2FA allow fraudsters to impersonate brands and executives at scale. Today, many businesses have subscriptions to tools like Shopify or Salesforce. In this new era of AI tools, there are now "fraud-as-a-service" tools for scammers, requiring no computer science degree. All it takes is a little cash (or cryptocurrency) and a sufficient computer to use tools like WormGPT, FraudGPT, DarkBERT or DarkBARD and start copying sites straight away. These generative AI tools have lowered the barrier to entry for cybercrime. Anyone with a laptop can log on and create content to impersonate a business in minutes. Scammers can launch hundreds of fake sites at once to overwhelm a brand and impersonate many more brands than previously possible. When it comes to a phishing kit like Tycoon, a user enters their information and 2FA code on a fake page. Then, Tycoon relays the login info and steals the user's browser session cookie. With this, the attacker can access the user's account multiple times and pass authentication. If the scammer accesses a Gmail or Microsoft 365 Outlook account, they can break into even more accounts that use the victim's email for 2FA. Ultimately, AI has ushered in a new age for cybercriminals. Phishing and counterfeit sites are growing in number and complexity while requiring fewer resources to create. This also means scammers can diversify their attacks. Since launching scams has a very low cost and is easier than ever, bad actors can go after all types of brands, large and small. What This Means For Brand Safety And Customer Trust We know that if a company has a CISO, they are likely focused on AI-driven scams. But this issue extends beyond cybersecurity. When customers fall for phishing scams or buy fake goods, many blame the brand itself. Even if they don't complain directly, they often just stop trusting. And when problems escalate, the marketing team must shift from growth strategies to damage control. Customer service teams spend time engaging with customers or individuals who purchased fake products unknowingly or spent money on a website and never received the item. What Brands Can Do To Stay Ahead Some early warning signs of brand abuse include: increased customer complaints via calls, social media, fake ads and phishing domains. The first step is aligning internal teams to ensure fast, coordinated responses. For companies handling a small number of incidents, some steps can be done in-house: • Manually report fake domains or ads using registrar or platform tools. • Secure obvious domain variations (like common misspellings or country-specific extensions). • Train frontline teams to flag anything suspicious shared by customers. But once fake sites start, proactive measures, including more advanced support and delivering a technological approach to move quickly, are paramount. Ultimately, safeguarding the brand in the AI era means staying vigilant, investing in the right technology and fostering a culture of rapid response. By taking decisive steps now, you can protect customer trust, minimize brand confusion and stay ahead of threats before they spiral out of control. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Scammers tap into Coloradan's Facebook page; authorities say it's an ongoing problem that's nearly impossible to investigate
"We're conducting a sale of personal items due to my uncle's move to a care facility," the posting on Facebook begins. Along with it are over 60 photos of items allegedly for sale. Pickups and SUVs, tractor trailers, 4-wheelers, generators and appliances. All at desperation-looking prices. It appears Jeanellil Taylor's uncle had quite an accumulation of possessions. But they need to be sold. On the page the posting says, "To manage this transition smoothly, items are being sold on a first-come, first-serve basis! I'll be out of town assisting with this move and won't be back till next weekend. To reserve an item a deposit is necessary." Except one problem. Jeanellil Taylor of Evergreen had her Facebook page hijacked by scammers. It's fraud. Her uncle is not going into a care facility. There are no items for sale. Taylor, who was on vacation out of state when someone tapped into her Facebook page and took it over, was initially unaware. It was only after friends who were tagged in the Facebook post began contacting her directly when she found out. But she couldn't even look at the posting on her own page. She was unable to get onto her Facebook account. "It's absolutely insane. People are absolutely insane," said Taylor. "People are coming out of the woodwork and they're like, 'Are you selling this? I'll buy this.' And I'm like, what are you talking about.?" A cousin in Arizona contacted her about the item she was buying. She had already sent money via an online digital wallet service as a deposit. It was too late. Taylor tried contacting Facebook to get control of her page again and get the posting taken down. "I tried to reach out to Facebook, tried to change my password, and it's just like nope, nope, nope, nope, shutdown, shutdown, shutdown shutdown. No matter how I tried. Phone numbers, email address nothing," said Taylor describing the process as a vicious circle. People were baited by the photos, which were not always consistent in their backdrop. A Ford F-150 was going for $10,000. A Toyota Rav4, $7,000. A Kubota tractor, $3,000. The posting asks people to contact the seller via Instant Message. Comments have been turned off, so those who do catch on, cannot post a warning. It's a variation on similar scams they see often says Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mark Techmeyer. "It's really unfortunate. And in situations like this, you know, every one of these investigations have different nuances and parts of it that can be different. But for the most case when you see where someone's Facebook page is hacked, the IP address, where the information is coming from, or is often fake and untraceable." They are nearly impossible to investigate. The perpetrators are often overseas. The jurisdiction for investigating is a tangled mess. "In this particular case, our victim in in Evergreen is a victim of fraud. But then everyone who sent money to make a deposit on these items is a victim of theft. And where they were when they sent that wire, that money, is the jurisdiction that has the responsibility for investigating the theft," said Techmeyer. CBS Colorado sent an email to Facebook's listed media contact Friday. There has been no reply. The posting and Taylor's page appeared still in the hands of the scammers late Monday and had not been taken down. "It is not often that we will work with Facebook in a situation like this, because it nothing really comes to fruition out of it," said Techmeyer. The best way to stop it is buyer beware. "So you just got to stop and think about that and be suspicious of postings where people are asking for money up front," said Techmeyer. Look out for unusually cheap prices and when pictures of multiple items are in different locations, that too is a red flag. Taylor is upset with someone using her good name. "I've always been an honest person and it just drives me crazy that people would do something like this." Her uncle? There were several. But, "They're all up in heaven."
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Worried about financial scams and bad advice? Stick to the investing basics
The investment industry is complex, confusing and intimidating for many people, and it's made worse by fraud, bad advice and high-risk investments. This combination of factors can be such a turnoff that some people avoid investing altogether. And that's a problem because it means they miss out on the opportunity to build their savings, which is a crucial part of having enough money for life's big expenses like postsecondary education and retirement. While it would be great if fraudsters disappeared, this isn't going to happen. The scams become more believable all the time and have increased their reach thanks to social media. A recent example is the David Rosenberg scam, where his image was used to convince investors to buy high-risk stocks. There are things that social-media platforms and regulators can do to curb the targeting of investors, but scammers will always find a way around roadblocks, so individuals need to figure out how to avoid falling victim. David Rosenberg says investment scam using his name bilked victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars Unfortunately, many people feel ill-equipped to do so, with only 51 per cent of Canadians saying they have an understanding of investing. However, there are a few simple principles that everyone can follow. The surest way to avoid fraudulent and high-risk investments is to stick with the basics. While some people enjoy wading into the world of individual stocks, cryptocurrencies, and hedge funds, all anyone needs are guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). GICs are wonderfully simple and easy-to-understand products issued by financial institutions, making them safe and reliable. Mutual funds and ETFs are subject to regulation that requires the disclosure of standardized information in an easy-to-access format. This transparency keeps the financial companies accountable and gives investors the information they need to make good decisions. Once you start looking at unregulated investments (like private mortgages) or less regulated products (like hedge funds), you open yourself up to the risk of fraud, mismanagement and ultimately, losing money. Knowing what a reasonable rate of return is will also protect you from being lured into high-risk investments. A realistic rate of return on a portfolio of global stocks – which can be in the form of equity mutual funds or ETFs – is about 8 per cent per year on average. This is based on the historic returns of the U.S., Canadian and international stock markets. An investment that is touted as generating a significantly higher return than that should be questioned. You were targeted in a scam. Is your bank liable for the losses? The basic investment principle of risk and return says that you need to take on more risk to generate a higher return. While this principle works very well when it comes to GICs (low risk/low return) versus stocks (higher risk/higher return), unproven investments without a long track record cannot show this to be true. If an investment promises a high return, you have to question what kind of risk is being taken to generate that return – and that's not a risk that most people can afford to take. A good investment shouldn't need to be sold to you. There's a difference between getting advice on an investment and being sold an investment. Getting advice means someone is explaining what the product is, how much risk there is involved, how it has performed in the past, why it fits in with your investment plan, and how much it costs. Being sold an investment requires a marketing strategy: a way to grab your attention, hook you in, and ultimately convince you that you should buy it. Some signs to look out for that you are being sold an investment are eye-catching phrases like 'investment opportunity,' a sense of exclusivity or being let in on a secret, a promise of high returns, and a pushy or persistent salesperson – which can be anyone from an investment adviser to someone you met at the dog park. Investing is simple and there are no shortcuts to earning high returns. If you remember this, you should be able to spot a scammer from a mile away. Anita Bruinsma is a Toronto-based financial coach and a parent of two teenage boys. You can find her at Clarity Personal Finance.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Loose Women sex tape panic as Coleen Nolan and Nadia Sawalha targeted by scammers who threaten to leak clips of them 'enjoying some alone time'
Loose Women panellists Coleen Nolan and Nadia Sawalha have opened up about being targeted by scammers who threatened to leak intimate videos of them 'enjoying some alone time.' Speaking on the ITV panel show, the pair candidly revealed the terrifying ordeals they had been subjected to by fraudsters trying to extort money from them. The topic of sex extortion has been circulating in recent weeks, as evidence emerges that sex scammers drive teenagers to take their own lives out of fear of what would happen if their intimate photos were leaked. Actress and TV personality Nadia Sawalha shared that she received a 'sextortion' email just days earlier, beginning crudely: 'Hello pervert.' The 60-year-old said: 'The email read "We have all the videos of you having a happy time - giving yourself some alone time." 'And I thought, "I don't think I have any videos of that." But then I felt fear again because, with deep fakes, could there be?' 'Deep fakes' are videos of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so they appear to be someone else. For example, someone's face could be digitally applied to the body of someone else performing a sex act - although the innocent party had no involvement at all. 'I felt anxious,' Nadia continued. 'I'm a 60-year-old woman who's listened to countless podcasts about this. 'I know the information, I've read stuff about it, I've read terrifying stories about children killing themselves.' She added: 'Because I had all that information, by the time I got to the end of the email, I simply deleted the email because I knew that this was a phishing expedition.' In the modern dating era, the panellists said, it is not uncommon for youngsters to share sexual photos or videos with their partners - meaning they are much more susceptible to such scams. Singer Coleen Nolan, also 60, revealed she had 'the exact same' experience around 18 months ago. Coleen explained how panic set in when she realised someone could have hacked her phone. 'Reading down, it said, "We've got all your videos and what you've done." I was just like, "Please can you send them to me, I'd be interested in seeing them as I've never made one in my life." 'But it was horrendous,' she added, while Nadia said: 'You do feel panicked, don't you?' Coleen continued: 'I knew I hadn't made the videos but had they hacked into my phone? Were they going to lie on that? 'They said they were going to send it to my family and my work and kids. I did click in and then I deleted it.' The discussion follows a powerful Channel 4 documentary titled Hunting My Sextortion Scammer, which sees Rizzle Kicks musician Jordan Stephens fly thousands of miles to confront a fraudster. The 33-year-old, who is one half of the pop duo alongside Harley Alexander-Sule, also 33, 'gets himself sextorted' to expose the tactics criminals use to sexually blackmail young British men and boys. He tracks down his blackmailer and attempts to confront them. In an exclusive clip obtained by MailOnline, the music star tries to keep his cool as he has a calm conversation with his scammer on the phone via Instagram. Jordan tells viewers: 'It sounds like my sextorter is getting more and more wound up,' as the camera zooms in on their conversation on the social media app. The scammer messages him: 'Show me your account now,' to which Jordan replies: 'No, I've already paid.' The sextorter tells Jordan: 'No, is not working bro' alongside three angry face emojis. Moments later the singer gets a call and answers with: 'Hello.' The scammer replies: 'Let tell you something now. I swear down with my life if you don't even try to understand me, I swear down, I'll destroy your life. 'It's better you get me $200 now.' Jordan replies: 'I gave it to you! I gave it to you!' He then tells viewers: 'I need my sextorter to believe he'll get his money if he clicks on that share location link on our fake gift card site.' The scammer says: 'I don't know how to redeem it. Do you want me to destroy your life?' Jordan tells him in a panic: 'I don't have any more money. You put the code in.' 'It's not working, I swear down,' the fraudster says. 'I've done it several times. It's not working. 'You should redeem the card at your place and then send me $200 back. Then I free you!'
CNN
7 days ago
- CNN
Meta launches new teen safety features, removes 635,000 accounts that sexualize children
Instagram parent company Meta has introduced new safety features aimed at protecting teens who use its platforms, including information about accounts that message them and an option to block and report accounts with one tap. The company also announced Wednesday that it has removed thousands of accounts that were leaving sexualized comments or requesting sexual images from adult-run accounts of kids under 13. Of these, 135,000 were commenting and another 500,000 were linked to accounts that 'interacted inappropriately,' Meta said in a blog post. The heightened measures arrive as social media companies face increased scrutiny over how their platform affects the mental health and well-being of younger users. This includes protecting children from predatory adults and scammers who ask — then extort— them for nude images. Meta said teen users blocked more than a million accounts and reported another million after seeing a 'safety notice' that reminds people to 'be cautious in private messages and to block and report anything that makes them uncomfortable.' Earlier this year, Meta began to test the use of artificial intelligence to determine if kids are lying about their ages on Instagram, which is technically only allowed for those over 13. If it is determined that a user is misrepresenting their age, the account will automatically become a teen account, which has more restrictions than an adult account. Teen accounts are private by default. Private messages are restricted so teens can only receive them from people they follow or are already connected to. In 2024, the company made teen accounts private by default. Meta faces lawsuits from dozens of US states that accuse it of harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.
