The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
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Are you able to spot the signs of a scam when you see them?
Scammers are creative, coming up with new and more effective ways to trick you into handing over money or personal information. Arming yourself with knowledge about their current tactics is the best way to make sure you don’t get scammed.
Most scams have common characteristics. By equipping yourself with the tools to recognize a scam, you can be alert to their key features and avoid becoming a victim.
AI technology provides many benefits to society. It can teach computers to detect when other computers are trying to breach their cybersecurity measures.
It can also assist in our daily lives. From setting step goals on our smartwatch to routing us on our travels using a map app.
Even though AI provides many benefits, it can also be used for malicious purposes.
Often, a grandparent receives a frantic call from someone they believe to be their grandchild. The supposed grandchild sounds distressed and may be calling from a noisy location. They claim to be involved in some type of trouble while traveling in Canada or overseas.
They ask the grandparent to immediately wire money to post bail or pay for medical treatment or car repairs. The scammer typically asks for several thousand dollars.
You may use apps like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant to find and dial a number.
Scammers are aware of this and have devised ways to trick smartphone users by creating fake customer service numbers that appear in search results when you use voice search.
The assist app algorithm will choose the fake number because it appears at the top of the search results.
Smishing has the same goal but comes in the form of a text message. The scammer entices the victim by claiming a victim must provide them with a password, account number, or even social security number to stop an alleged fraudulent transaction. Once this information is provided, the scammer can gain access to the device and any personal information stored on it, including email, bank, credit card, or other types of accounts including social media.