Artificial Love: How criminals are using AI to scam
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Popular dating apps have become increasingly significant in the quest for love in the Digital Age.
These days, it’s not too uncommon to hear heart-warming stories of individuals finding companionship online.
However, it’s essential to shed light on a concerning issue that has been unfolding in Australia with each technological leap in Artificial Intelligence.
Cybercriminals are using AI to create fake online personas through bots that engage in convincing text conversations, generate images, and produce audio to deceive people on Australian dating apps.
There is a wealth of AI-backed tools scammers can use to deceive unsuspecting victims.
Take Adobe Firefly, for example. This program is AI-trained to use Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public domain material with expired copyrights. You can find further information about their Content Initiative here.
Using programs like it, a scammer can create a fake online persona with a few simple instructions, and fast.
We also used a similar tool online, telling the AI to generate images of a male and a female Australian senior on vacation. The results, we found, were enough to trick undiscerning eyes.
Ah, but it doesn’t stop there. Now that the scammers have a pretty face—or at least, something they can present as a fake persona—they then take advantage of chat models to strike up a conversation using AI bots.
The AI bots ‘speak’ with those who think they are communicating with a genuine person.
They build a connection over an extended period, ultimately sharing an emotional narrative to persuade the dating app user to transfer money.
This form of scam has been called ‘LoveGPT’ about the widely used generative AI tool, ‘ChatGPT’.
Scammers have also turned to voice cloning as a tactic to impersonate real individuals and send audio messages, all to enhance their deception and convince victims of their authenticity, despite being fraudulent.
Cybersecurity Expert at Avast Stephen Kho noted that ChatGPT became available only last year. Nevertheless, as technology progressed, it became easier for scammers to carry out their deceptive activities.
‘Before (ChatGPT) when you talk to a chatbot it's like, ‘Ah, this is clearly a bot because they are not intuitive, they don't hold a conversation, they have limited speech,’ Kho said.
‘But since then, it has just evolved out of sight.’
Kho mentioned that the rate at which the bots respond is now comparable to that of a person contemplating their response before replying.
‘It would be very easy to get tricked. It's not even targeting older generations,’ he explained.
‘We are all vulnerable because if you are wanting a connection you can be 35, 40 or 60 (years old), it doesn't really matter.’
Furthermore, Kho added that you can train AI bots to adopt specific personalities or to be appealing in particular ways.
‘The scammers will join dating websites and apps, across all dating apps, and they will create fake profiles,’ he said.
‘So as soon as the scammer has detected you need something... if it's in a dating site they will take you off that dating site and start talking to you and build that relationship.’
He mentioned that previously, a single individual in a call centre would handle around 20 scams per day.
However, the rise of automated chatbots has enabled scammers to target hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously.
In response to this fast-growing technology, governments worldwide are striving to establish legislation.
The European Union took a pioneering step by introducing the world's first ‘comprehensive AI law’ in June, and Australia is actively working to catch up in this regard.
‘Australia already has several pieces of legislation regulating AI usage in specific settings or circumstances,’ the Australian Human Rights Commission said.
‘However, the regulatory environment for AI is patchwork and regulatory gaps likely exist.’
Kho noted that the use of AI-backed dating scams like LoveGPT is still in its early stages, and there are specific signs to be vigilant about.
‘They will take you off the dating app pretty much as soon as possible,’ Kho said.
‘They will say let's talk on WhatsApp or Signal, they'll take you off the site because a lot of these (dating) sites also employ AI detection to look for a fake account, the spam, the bot accounts so the quicker they take you off, the better.’
Another method for identifying an AI bot is their reluctance to engage in a video call, as AI-generated videos are typically less convincing compared to photos, text, or audio.
‘Then the normal things about scams come in so they try to make it urgent, someone’s sick, they want money, they need something from you too quickly because it's urgent, someone is in trouble.’
‘It's always a recent and emotional situation that arises,’ he added.
In 2022, Australians suffered a staggering $3.1 billion in losses due to scams, as reported by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Kho stressed that education is a highly effective way to prevent scams. He urged individuals not to be ashamed and to openly share their scam experiences, which raises awareness about scammers' tactics.
If you’ve become a victim of a scam, it’s advisable to report it to Scamwatch, an organisation that offers information about Australia’s current online threats.
Members, have you ever tried, used, or known someone who is using a dating app? Share this article, to be sure!
Share your thoughts on AI and dating apps in the comments below as well!
These days, it’s not too uncommon to hear heart-warming stories of individuals finding companionship online.
However, it’s essential to shed light on a concerning issue that has been unfolding in Australia with each technological leap in Artificial Intelligence.
Cybercriminals are using AI to create fake online personas through bots that engage in convincing text conversations, generate images, and produce audio to deceive people on Australian dating apps.
There is a wealth of AI-backed tools scammers can use to deceive unsuspecting victims.
Take Adobe Firefly, for example. This program is AI-trained to use Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public domain material with expired copyrights. You can find further information about their Content Initiative here.
Using programs like it, a scammer can create a fake online persona with a few simple instructions, and fast.
We also used a similar tool online, telling the AI to generate images of a male and a female Australian senior on vacation. The results, we found, were enough to trick undiscerning eyes.
These are AI-generated images using the prompt ‘Old Australian woman on vacation’. Image source: Perchance.org
Ah, but it doesn’t stop there. Now that the scammers have a pretty face—or at least, something they can present as a fake persona—they then take advantage of chat models to strike up a conversation using AI bots.
The AI bots ‘speak’ with those who think they are communicating with a genuine person.
They build a connection over an extended period, ultimately sharing an emotional narrative to persuade the dating app user to transfer money.
This form of scam has been called ‘LoveGPT’ about the widely used generative AI tool, ‘ChatGPT’.
Scammers have also turned to voice cloning as a tactic to impersonate real individuals and send audio messages, all to enhance their deception and convince victims of their authenticity, despite being fraudulent.
Cybersecurity Expert at Avast Stephen Kho noted that ChatGPT became available only last year. Nevertheless, as technology progressed, it became easier for scammers to carry out their deceptive activities.
‘Before (ChatGPT) when you talk to a chatbot it's like, ‘Ah, this is clearly a bot because they are not intuitive, they don't hold a conversation, they have limited speech,’ Kho said.
‘But since then, it has just evolved out of sight.’
Kho mentioned that the rate at which the bots respond is now comparable to that of a person contemplating their response before replying.
‘It would be very easy to get tricked. It's not even targeting older generations,’ he explained.
‘We are all vulnerable because if you are wanting a connection you can be 35, 40 or 60 (years old), it doesn't really matter.’
Furthermore, Kho added that you can train AI bots to adopt specific personalities or to be appealing in particular ways.
‘The scammers will join dating websites and apps, across all dating apps, and they will create fake profiles,’ he said.
‘So as soon as the scammer has detected you need something... if it's in a dating site they will take you off that dating site and start talking to you and build that relationship.’
He mentioned that previously, a single individual in a call centre would handle around 20 scams per day.
However, the rise of automated chatbots has enabled scammers to target hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously.
In response to this fast-growing technology, governments worldwide are striving to establish legislation.
The European Union took a pioneering step by introducing the world's first ‘comprehensive AI law’ in June, and Australia is actively working to catch up in this regard.
‘Australia already has several pieces of legislation regulating AI usage in specific settings or circumstances,’ the Australian Human Rights Commission said.
‘However, the regulatory environment for AI is patchwork and regulatory gaps likely exist.’
Kho noted that the use of AI-backed dating scams like LoveGPT is still in its early stages, and there are specific signs to be vigilant about.
‘They will take you off the dating app pretty much as soon as possible,’ Kho said.
‘They will say let's talk on WhatsApp or Signal, they'll take you off the site because a lot of these (dating) sites also employ AI detection to look for a fake account, the spam, the bot accounts so the quicker they take you off, the better.’
Another method for identifying an AI bot is their reluctance to engage in a video call, as AI-generated videos are typically less convincing compared to photos, text, or audio.
‘Then the normal things about scams come in so they try to make it urgent, someone’s sick, they want money, they need something from you too quickly because it's urgent, someone is in trouble.’
‘It's always a recent and emotional situation that arises,’ he added.
These are AI-generated images using the prompt ‘Old Australian man on vacation’. Image source: Perchance.org
In 2022, Australians suffered a staggering $3.1 billion in losses due to scams, as reported by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Kho stressed that education is a highly effective way to prevent scams. He urged individuals not to be ashamed and to openly share their scam experiences, which raises awareness about scammers' tactics.
If you’ve become a victim of a scam, it’s advisable to report it to Scamwatch, an organisation that offers information about Australia’s current online threats.
Share your thoughts on AI and dating apps in the comments below as well!
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