Not too long ago, creating a realistic fake video or audio clip required a massive Hollywood budget and a team of special effects experts. Today, it just takes a laptop, an internet connection, and the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
This technology has given rise to "deepfakes" - highly realistic, AI-generated synthetic media that can make it look or sound like someone is doing or saying something they never did. While AI brings many incredible benefits to our daily lives, cybercriminals are increasingly using deepfakes as a powerful, low-cost tool to scam, deceive, and steal. Because these tools are now widely available and easy to use, anyone can become a target.
The new face of fraud
Attackers love deepfakes because they bypass traditional security screens and exploit our most basic human instinct: trust. If you see a video of a friend or hear the voice of a loved one, your brain naturally believes it is them. Hackers are weaponizing this trust to create incredibly complex and convincing attacks.
Here are a few ways criminals are using deepfakes today:
- The Family Emergency Scam: Using cloned voices, attackers impersonate loved ones in distress over the phone to trick you into sending money immediately.
- The Corporate Impostor: Scammers use deepfake video and audio to join meetings as your boss or vendor, tricking employees into authorizing wire transfers to their accounts.
- Fake News and Misinformation: Attackers create highly realistic videos of politicians or celebrities to spread false news, cause public panic, or manipulate stock prices.
What to watch for
Although AI is getting smarter every day, deepfakes are rarely perfect. If you know what to look for, you can often spot the digital cracks in their disguise.
When watching a suspicious video, look for visual glitches:
- Unnatural eye movement: Pay attention to their blinking. Is it too frequent, or do they never blink at all? Do their eyes seem to stare blankly?
- Lighting and shadows: Does the lighting on the person's face match the background? Often, AI struggles to create realistic shadows.
- Lip sync issues: Are their lip movements perfectly synchronized with the words they are saying, or does it look slightly like a badly dubbed movie?
- Blurry edges: Look closely at the edges of their face, hair, or glasses. You might notice unnatural blurring, flickering, or strange digital glitches when they move their head.
When listening to a suspicious audio clip, listen for audio glitches:
- Lack of emotion: A cloned voice might sound flat, robotic, or fail to match the emotion of the stressful situation they are describing.
- Strange pacing: Listen for unnatural pauses, or a lack of the natural breathing sounds a real person makes when speaking.
- Poor audio quality: Be highly suspicious if the audio quality is exceptionally poor, or if there is unusual, persistent background noise designed to mask the imperfections of the cloned voice.
Tips to protect yourself
The best defense against deepfakes is a healthy dose of skepticism. Here is how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to these AI-powered scams:
- Pause and Verify: If a loved one or boss makes an urgent request for money or data, hang up immediately. Call them back directly using a trusted, pre-saved number.
- Set a Family Safe Word: Agree on a secret word with your family. If someone calls claiming to be a relative in distress, ask for the safe word to instantly prove their identity.
- Ignore the False Urgency: Scammers use panic to stop you from thinking clearly. Slow down and question any high-pressure situation before reacting.
- Lock Down Social Profiles: Scammers steal voice and video clips from public posts. Tighten your social media privacy settings so only known friends can view your content.
As AI technology continues to evolve, deepfakes will become even harder to detect. However, by understanding how these attacks work, keeping an eye out for common glitches, and relying on simple verification habits, you can stay one step ahead of the scammers.
To learn more about fraud and how you can prevent it, we encourage you to read our other articles plus visit VirginPlus.ca/security
for more in depth information.
Social engineering – How cybercriminals focus on people
Emotions – the cornerstone of fraud
Do you suspect fraud? What to do next
