UNscam With Us: Artificial Intelligence

Close your eyes and think about Artificial Intelligence (AI). What comes to mind?

More than likely, you pictured UNcanny images of gangly, grinning figures with fifteen fingers and aggressively airbrushed features. AI-generated images often appear this way, but generative AI is also gaining traction with scammers.

AI scams targeting financial institutions may not be on your radar, but they should be. Here’s how you can avoid these trending scams and the bad actors behind them.

Artificial Attacks, Real Consequences

Technology is evolving, and so are scammers. Gone are the days of telltale phishing signs like misspelled words, improper grammar and blatantly incorrect personal information. Now, these email and cellular attacks pop up with some pretty darn convincing content.

AI enables scammers to craft targeted attacks by cloning text, images, audio and even video to mimic the appearance of a legitimate sender. To the UNsuspecting eye, these attacks may not even register as attacks. They’re designed to fool you by mimicking trusted sources so you’ll share sensitive personal information that may put your account at risk.

How to Avoid AI Scams

Scammers work hard, but we work harder. Our UNbankers are trained to identify suspicious activity and prevent AI-based phishing attempts. We encourage everyone to have a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to communications claiming to be from us.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore everything that you receive from Community Choice Credit Union—please don’t, that would really bum us out—but do take the time to truly make sense of what you’re reading or being asked to do.

If you believe you’re at risk of being scammed, reach out to us at (515) 334-8100 or stop into your local UNbanking Center so we can help protect your account. Even if you’re slightly UNsure about something, give us a call and we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.

The More You Know

The FBI’s cybercrime division, IC3, has great resources if you’d like to learn more about safe online practices and how to report suspected fraud. If you have been affected by fraudulent activity, they also offer helpful information on next steps, future prevention and counselling services. Check all of that and more out here.

This blog is intended for educational purposes only. For details about specific products or services, see credit union for details. For questions about investments, please consult your financial advisor.