COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Online dating can be risky, and now artificial intelligence (AI) is making it even trickier to know who you’re talking to. Scammers are using new technology to pretend to be someone else, even during live video calls.
This summer, Colorado author Josh Kern lost over $100,000 to a romance and investment scam. Hoping to get his money back, he sent another $50,000 to a fake "scam recovery" website, only to lose even more.
RELATED |Colorado man loses more than $100K in romance scam
After reporting his case to the FBI and other consumer protection agencies, Kern learned that the person he believed he was in a relationship with and conversed with over video chats on WhatsApp wasn’t a real depiction of the person.
“People think they don’t show their face, that they don’t do video calls or photos. And each one of those things, she did," Kern said. "They can do that now due to Gen A.I. I mean, my friend who works in technology thinks that’s what happened. The police officers both think that’s what happened."
FBI Special Agent Eric Burns investigates romance and investment scams in Colorado.
Burns confirmed to News5 that scammers now use artificial intelligence to disguise their voice and face to make themselves look like a completely different person online.
“They're on these dating websites and they're looking for vulnerable individuals," Burns said. "The criminals know it just as well as we do. They need to make it better, more believable. So they’ll offer to do video chats, or they’ll offer to talk by phone, and they’ll use AI to disguise their voice or appearance and to make it look like somebody they’re not,” said Burns.
Burns said the technology to create these filters can be downloaded from the dark web or even as an app on your phone or computer. Once it's installed, a person can use it to change their appearance and voice on a live video call.
The FBI agent says the best way to protect yourself is to meet the person face-to-face. Stay alert when meeting people online, and never send money unless you are certain of who you’re dealing with.
If you believe you're the victim of a romance scam, stop all contact with the scammer immediately.
File a report through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center here.
This story was written by KOAA News5 Consumer Reporter Kierra Sam. Have a story? Send an email to kierra.sam@koaa.com.
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