AI Misused to Fool Seniors
Artificial Intelligence has been a boon to humanity. Its influence can be found across multiple sectors: medicine, transportation, education, and entertainment. However, a darker facet of AI has rolled to fruition lately. The tool designed to simplify our lives is now being leveraged to fool the elderly.
Scamming elderly people online is not a new trend, but the usage of AI to escalate it is. This shady pursuit involves using AI-generated images to create false identities that con unsuspecting seniors on Facebook.
Facebook, being a reservoir of connections, has allowed global citizens to reconnect with lost peers. This feature has been beneficial, especially for the elderly who have found lost friends and relived their golden days. But, with every good comes the bad.
The Dark Side of Connectivity
While the elderly population has always been vulnerable to digital scams due to their lack of internet savvy, this new breed of scamming has upped the ante. The false, AI-generated profiles lure seniors with their realistic appearances into falling for bogus narratives.
A research project, 'Sensity', had shed light on this, revealing that two-thirds of these pictures used on Facebook are not authentic humans but AI-created images. They look no different from real people, thereby effortlessly fooling the unversed.
Reportedly, these profiles connect to an extensive network of false identities which, once interlinked, create a deep and convoluted web that entraps its victims. Each supportive connection leads to another, disorienting the user and misleading their trust.
The devious scamsters behind this modus operandi cloak themselves within artificial information, fabricated profiles and cunningly spun stories that leave even the intelligent and wary blinking in confusion.
The Intricate Web
The persons behind these scams design an intricate web of friendships, stories, and scenarios centered around AI-generated individuals. The narratives spun are typically engaging and emotionally charged, created to establish strong bonds with the target.
These scammers send friend requests to senior citizens who, trusting the authenticity of the website, accept them. Contact is thus established, setting the stage for an elaborate scam.
The scammers skillfully manipulate and manage their friendship, forming a close and intimate bond before introducing a dire or desperate scenario that requires immediate financial aid.
Innocent and sympathetic, the senior citizens often provide the requested help, unknowingly throwing their hard-earned money into the dark, bottomless pit of deceit.
Facebook's Defence
Facebook claims to be making significant strides towards cracking down this problem. It asserts to have weeded out a whopping 1.3 billion bogus accounts between October and December last year.
The tech giant uses automated techniques to root out fake personas even before they are reported. Moreover, technology does not just blindfoldedly detect and remove; it perceives patterns, corroborates evidence, and acts.
Facebook states that it has also been trying to improve the user-based reporting tool, trying to make it user-friendly for all age groups. But the problem persists despite these proclaimed strides.
Though the social media platform does have policies that regulate authenticity, the delinquent behind the scams may face punishment, but the damage is already done, and often, the money is never recovered.
Entities Chasing Down the Scourge
Entities like Sensity are thus chasing down this scourge to shed light on this overlooked aspect of the digital world. They aim to augment awareness and induce caution in the senior citizens active online.
The reports by Sensity can prove to be valuable ammunition in the fight against this emerging digital menace. They have successfully identified many deepfake profiles, leading to their suspension.
However, despite the proactive work, the number of elderly digital scam victims is still increasing. Seniors are losing thousands of dollars and, above all, their trust in online connections.
The scenario may seem lackluster, but the hope remains. With more awareness generated and better digital literacy provided, senior citizens can be protected and the fraudulent web dismantled.