- There has been an increase in romantic scams related to AI
- 17% of people believe that someone they know has been approached by a chatbot of AI in appointment applications or social networks
- Almost half of the British believe that it is possible to develop feelings for a chatbot of AI
Valentine’s day can approach quickly (it is this Friday, in case you are asking you), but for the singletons, the already infernal landscape of the world of online appointments has an additional nightmare fed by the technology that they have to take into account. Instead of simply being a time taster, it is very possible that the person with whom he has been flirting online is not even human.
According to a new McAfee research, there has been an alarming increase in the romantic scams promoted by AI. Almost 17% of people (approximately one in five) say that someone they know has approached a chatbot of AI who pretends to be a real person in an application of dating or social networks.
“Technology has revolutionized communication by allowing instant connections worldwide, promoting deeper relationships and collaboration, regardless of physical distance, but unfortunately, it is also transforming the way they operate the scammers,” said Vonny Gamot, head of Emea in McAfee.
Love is a battlefield
It seems that even people who work in cybersecurity to make a living can be victims of AI’s romantic scams. Take Rob S, a cybersecurity professional, who thought he had made a connection with someone: “We met in a group chat and we really did it. After exchanging numbers, we start sending text messages and knowing each other. “
Her suspicions were raised when her possible romantic couple began asking for money: “When she asked for more money, I began to notice the red flags. His messages were repetitive, his number made no sense for his location, and I realized that I could have been talking to a bot, or, at least, a scammer. “
“Looking back, many of their messages were generic and they didn’t feel personal. It was then that it hit me: there was a real possibility that I hadn’t even talked to a person. “
One in two British could fall in love with an AI
According to the McAfee survey, almost half (46%) of the British believes that it is possible to develop romantic feelings by an AI chatbot.
With this in mind, Mcafee has some tips on how to stay safe when looking for love online this Valentine’s Day:
First, if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. The red fags are: the people who avoid video calls, move the conversations outside the platform or declare love too soon.
Be sure to verify the identity of the person as soon as I can. Make an inverse image search in your profile photo and verify the activity of social networks to confirm that they are real.
Remember, scammers will use small details such as their birthday or pet name to guess passwords, so be attentive. Never send money or gifts.
Finally, if you have an AI PC, then you can take advantage of McAfee Deepfake detector to alert it to Deepfake Audio inside the videos.
