Staying Safe from AI Scams

The Most Important Lesson in This Course

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you learned to use AI for health management and doctor visit preparation. Now you’ll learn something equally important for your wellbeing: how to protect yourself from people who use AI to steal from you.

Americans over 60 lost more than $3.4 billion to scams in 2023 — a 14% increase from the year before. AI has made scams more sophisticated, more convincing, and harder to detect. But with the right knowledge, you can protect yourself.

How Scammers Use AI

The Five Safety Rules

Rule 1: Verify Through a Different Channel

If someone contacts you asking for money or information — even if they sound exactly like someone you know — verify by contacting that person through a different method.

Phone call claiming to be your grandson? → Call him on his saved number. Email from your bank? → Call the number on your bank card. Text from a friend asking for help? → Call them directly.

Rule 2: No Legitimate Company Calls You First

Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon, your bank, the IRS, Social Security — none of them call you unprompted about a problem with your account or device.

Any unsolicited call claiming to be from one of these organizations is a scam. Always. No exceptions.

Rule 3: Urgency Is a Red Flag

Scammers create panic: “Act now or your account will be closed.” “Send money immediately or your grandson will go to jail.” “This virus will destroy your computer in 24 hours.”

Real emergencies don’t require immediate wire transfers. Take a breath, hang up, and verify through your own channels.

Rule 4: Never Share These by Phone or Email

• Social Security number
• Bank account numbers
• Credit card numbers
• Passwords or PINs
• Medicare ID number

If someone asks for these over the phone or by email, it’s a scam — even if they claim to be from a legitimate organization.

✅ Quick Check: Why is urgency such an effective scam tactic? Because fear overrides careful thinking. When you believe your grandchild is in danger or your bank account is being drained, your brain goes into emergency mode and you act without verifying. Scammers know this. That’s why the most protective thing you can do in any urgent situation is: pause, breathe, hang up, and verify through a channel you trust. Real emergencies can wait five minutes for you to call back on a number you know is safe.

Rule 5: When in Doubt, Ask Someone You Trust

If you receive a suspicious call, email, or message, don’t feel embarrassed — talk to someone you trust: a family member, a friend, or a bank employee. Scammers count on you feeling too embarrassed or rushed to ask for help.

What AI Voice Cloning Sounds Like

AI can now clone anyone’s voice from as little as 3 seconds of audio. That means:

• A voicemail greeting → enough to clone your voice
• A social media video → enough to clone your grandchild’s voice
• A phone conversation → enough to clone your voice later

The clone is nearly perfect. It captures tone, accent, speech patterns, and emotion. The only reliable protection is the verification rule: hang up and call the person directly.

Protecting Yourself Online

Email Safety Checklist

Before responding to any email asking you to do something:

• Do I know this sender? (Check the actual email address, not just the name)
• Is it creating urgency or fear?
• Is it asking me to click a link or download something?
• Is it asking for personal or financial information?
• Does it have spelling errors or awkward language? (Less reliable now — AI writes perfectly)

If any answer is “yes”: Don’t click, don’t respond. Contact the organization directly.

✅ Quick Check: Why can’t you rely on spelling errors to detect scam emails anymore? Because AI writes perfect English. In the past, scam emails often had obvious misspellings and awkward grammar. AI-generated phishing emails now read like professional business communications — perfect grammar, correct formatting, and convincing language. You need to rely on OTHER red flags: urgency, requests for personal information, suspicious email addresses, and unsolicited contact.

What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed

1. Don’t blame yourself. These scams are professionally designed to fool anyone.
2. Contact your bank immediately to freeze affected accounts.
3. Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-382-4357.
4. Tell your family. They can help and watch for follow-up scam attempts.
5. Change passwords for any accounts that may be compromised.

Key Takeaways

• AI voice cloning can replicate a loved one’s voice from just seconds of audio — always verify by calling them directly on a number you trust
• No legitimate company (Microsoft, your bank, the IRS) ever calls you first about a problem — unsolicited tech support or bank calls are always scams
• Urgency is the biggest red flag — real emergencies can wait five minutes for you to verify through your own channels
• Never share Social Security numbers, bank details, or passwords by phone or email
• AI makes phishing emails look perfect — you can’t rely on spelling errors anymore; verify through separate channels

Up Next: You’ll discover the fun side of AI — using it for travel planning, recipes, hobbies, games, and creative activities that make daily life more enjoyable.