New book details how scammers have evolved using AI

A frightening threat is growing in the world of scammers and Artificial Intelligence, according to a regional cybersecurity expert. Imagine this: You receive an urgent facetime call from a family member saying they're in trouble and desperately need money, triggering panic and your instinct to immediately help. Only that image and voice on the call aren't real - they're the devious creation of AI harnessed by a scammer meant to steal your money. This is one of the many real threats that are now out there, and the primary weapon against it is knowledge, according to local cybersecurity expert Alex East. East has now penned three extensive books on how people can protect themselves from various forms of scams. His latest book, "The AI Scam Survival Guide," recently published with details on how far scammers have evolved from the days of simple phishing, where you could spot them a mile away with the fake grammar or outdated Hotmail address. "Now, scammers are using AI to make their phishing emails look really professional," said East. "You can't tell the difference between a scam email and a real one anymore." East's first book, "Cybersecurity for Seniors," caught a wave of attention in the region as it detailed the various ways loved ones can help protect senior citizens from being victimized by scammers. The second book, "A Parent's Guide to Online Safety," detailed dangers facing young people online and via social media and how their parents can protect them from being victimized. While working with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office for research, East learned more about how scammers duped children into believing they were peers with similar interests to lure them to meet in person. It was during the writing of that book the idea for "The AI Scam Survival Guide" was born, which applies to all ages. East said AI has allowed scammers to up their game and target a much broader pool of people with minimal work. "Now, with AI, they can create their own chat bots, they interact with you and have empathy, so now there's really no person involved anymore," explained East. "They create this AI bot and it goes off and does the work for them." Yet it becomes more disturbing. East explains that scammers can simply access a person's presence online and use that information against them. "What they're doing is the scammers can go on social media, especially for young adults because young adults share everything - what they're eating, where they're going - and that voice and video can then be harvested, run through an AI tool and made to say whatever the scammers want," said East. This means scammers no longer are limited to sending fake texts or emails to victims; they can actually make phone calls or video calls using AI to terrify family members and fool them into sending money. "It's actually the voice of your grandchild and oftentimes with facetime, they can be their voice and their face so you can imagine how convincing that is," said East. While the scams have evolved, East said the red flags have always been similar: Scammers try to create a sense of urgency to force you to act without thinking, such as immediately sending money to help with the fake emergency. "If someone wants you to act instantly, always verify," said East. "So if you get that panicked video phone call or panicked phone call from a grandchild saying, 'Hey I'm in trouble, I've been arrested, I need money to get out,' say I'll call you right back. Or I'll call your dad." Aside from the sense of urgency, East said the current trend with scammers is to ask for payment with a gift card or cryptocurrency, which should be considered massive red flags. East explains credit cards are less desirable since there's a finite amount of time before fraud is suspected and the card is deactivated. East's book details methods one can use to protect themselves from scammers; for instance, he suggested families establish a "safe word." "That's unhackable. Bad guys can't get to that if it's something verbal you've agreed with your family," said East. "So if you're ever in trouble, say Sacramento Kings or something like that, so if you do get that panicked phone call, say what's the password? Bad guys are never going to know that." Another word of advice East offers: Go old school. "As much as you can keep offline, keep passwords offline," said East. "I recommend keeping those in a notebook, a physical notebook written down; don't reuse the same password across different things. If you use a physical notebook, it's unhackable." For more information about AI threats and how to protect yourself, East's book is now available on Amazon and through his website, https://cybersecuritycoachonline.com/. East also provides a free newsletter you can subscribe to via email which offers weekly tips and information. These books and newsletters are not for-profit ventures but vehicles for East to offer his knowledge and expertise so fewer people fall victim to scammers, who are becoming more sophisticated and tech savvy. While this current book was only recently released, East hasn't wasted time tackling the next topic: "Cybersecurity for Small Businesses" is the fourth book going to print soon.