Fraud experts warn that scammers are using phone calls, texts, email, messaging apps and social media to impersonate people and organizations residents trust. Artificial intelligence is making those attempts harder to spot.
Impersonators often pose as government agencies, law enforcement, banks, tech support providers or even a family member. They typically create a sense of urgency and count on trust to push people into acting before they think it through.
Criminals can now use AI to generate realistic messages, produce real-time video or copy a person’s voice. Those tools can make a demand feel more personal and more pressing, which raises the chance that someone responds without checking.
Joshua Del Valle, executive director of enterprise fraud at PNC Bank, said the technology is new but the approach is familiar. Scammers want to build trust, apply pressure and prevent a pause. He recommended verifying any request through a contact method you already know, rather than trusting how convincing a message, voice or video appears.
The core advice is to slow down. Pausing before responding can keep you from sending a payment or sharing personal information based on a false request. PNC’s Security and Privacy Center offers more guidance on preventing fraud.
