Human Skepticism Key Defense Against Evolving AI Scams, Expert Says

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is enabling financial scams to become increasingly realistic, but cybersecurity experts are highlighting a timeless defense: human skepticism. While adversarial nations may utilize AI on a global scale, everyday Americans are more frequently targeted by cybercriminals seeking financial gain, according to cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright.

Wright advises a return to the sentiment expressed by Edgar Allan Poe centuries ago: "Believe nothing that you hear and only one half that you see." This adage, he states, remains as relevant today as it was in the 19th century.

AI technologies allow malicious actors to automate and scale personalized fraud schemes. Generative tools can eliminate language barriers, compose convincing phishing messages, and create highly realistic voice and video clones. By capturing just a few seconds of audio, often sourced from social media, fraudsters can mimic the voices of individuals, including family members.

One example cited is the case of Deborah Del Mastro, a California mother who lost thousands of dollars when scammers used AI to clone her daughter's voice, fabricating a kidnapping scenario. "It's my daughter's voice,' Del Mastro recalled. "And she's having a panic attack."

Wright explained that such scams exploit psychological triggers, emphasizing the urgency to manipulate victims into lowering their guard and acting quickly. "When you can fool a mother, that's how good these things are getting," he said of voice-cloning technology. "What they do is use manipulation, influence, and deceit. The more urgent I can make it sound, the more you're going to lower your guard and take action."

Despite ongoing efforts by AI platforms to introduce new security features, scammers continuously find ways to circumvent them. This makes software-based detection a perpetually challenging endeavor. "We hear about all the different models from xAI, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Gemini—they change models constantly," Wright noted. "So when the model changes, how effective is [detection software]? We don't know, because this stuff is moving so fast. What you see today will be drastically different tomorrow."

Wright, who has extensive experience training law enforcement in behavioral analysis and interrogation techniques, stresses that the fundamental defense against any scam lies in pausing before reacting. He advises that urgent threats demanding immediate action, such as law enforcement notices about impending arrests, are often not communicated through unsolicited texts or calls.