I just finished reading a piece at SimpliLearn.com on the advantages, or positives, about artificial intelligence, better known as AI. Seriously, if you can get SkyNet taking over the world and killing everyone in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" out of your head for a second, there are several things about AI that we can be positive about.

Things like:

  • Reduction in Human Error
  • Decision-Making
  • 24x7 Availability
  • Digital Assistance
  • Unbiased Decisions
  • Make everyday life more convenient and enjoyable, improving our health and standard of living
  • Offer accessibility for people with disabilities
  • improve workplace safety

But, there's always SkyNet in the back of your mind, right?

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It's Not The Good People With Good Intentions For AI That We Should Be Watching Out For, It's The People Who've Figured Out How To Use AI For Criminal Purposes

And those people have figured out a way for using AI to scam innocent people out of their money, ID, or other personal information here in Illinois and across the country.

According to Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), scammers have combined "old-school" scam tactics with the power of AI to make a scam called "The Emergency Scam" work better and collect more victims.

As Dennis points out, scammers who use AI can now can replicate a person’s voice so realistically that fake phone calls sound exactly like a friend or relative calling you on the phone. They make it seem as though your relative or friend needs money right now, and it's so convincing that you just can't tell it's not them.

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There's No Doubt That AI Technology Can Make It Seem Like It's A Close Friend Or Loved One Reaching Out To You When It's Really Not

So how do you keep yourself and your family and friends safe from this sort of scam? You do it by employing a tactic that my wife and I used to keep our kids safe from "Stranger-Danger" when they were younger.

Amy and I wanted to make sure our kids couldn't be tricked into getting into a vehicle with someone who told them that one of us had sent them to give the kids a ride home. We simply came up with a codeword that we shared among close family members and friends, and the word was "Superman." It was easy for them to remember and recall if necessary.

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If anyone tried to get our kids to come with them, that person would be asked for the codeword. If they knew it, our kids knew that this person was okay. If not, our kids knew to run.

Do the same thing with your family to make sure they're not fooled by some criminal using AI to trick them. No matter how real the voice on the other end of phone might sound, if they don't know your codeword, they're the bad guys.
This guy's story about how his parents got taken by scammers is pretty terrifying:

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Gallery Credit: Amanda Silvestri

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