DENVER — As artificial intelligence (AI) technology advances, scammers are finding new ways to exploit it, making fraud harder to detect and more convincing than ever.
Denver authorities are stepping up efforts to educate the public. On Thursday, the Denver Police Department and Denver City Attorney's Office partnered with Chase Bank to host a workshop aimed at protecting residents from falling victim to scams.
"It's going to continue to grow, and it's going to get worse and harder to detect," said Lynn Lowe, senior resource navigator with the Denver City Attorney’s Office.
Denver PD said it has seen an alarming increase in scam-related cases. Officers want the public to understand how AI could be used against them.
"Every day in our unit, we get double digits every day — almost five to 10 a day is common," said Sgt. Stephen Kimberly with the Denver Police Department.
Authorities warn that scammers can use AI to manipulate emotions, creating a sense of urgency that pressures victims into making rash decisions.
"The biggest red flag is scammers are going to trigger the emotional part of our brain," Lowe said.
AI technology allows criminals to impersonate loved ones by mimicking their voices and spoofing their phone numbers.
"I can spoof your daughter or son's phone number, and I can take their voice with deep fake technology and say, 'I'm in trouble. I need help,’” Lowe explained.
Additionally, scammers are using AI-generated images and videos to create realistic but fake scenarios that make victims believe someone they know is in danger.
"We have had reports of deep fakes, where photographs are altered and put in compromising positions, and [scammers] use that to extort money out of [victims]," Sgt. Kimberly said.
Douglas Pratt, a 72-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, said he has seen friends lose significant amounts of money to scams.
"I have a couple of them that have lost major amounts of money by falling for scams," Pratt said.
Sgt. Kimberley offered these tips to keep yourself safe from scams:
- Block unwanted calls or text messages
- Don’t give personal or financial information over the phone or computer unless you initiated the communication with an entity you know and trust
- Slow down. Don’t give in to pressure to act immediately.
- Scammers like to be paid in cryptocurrency, gift card, or through peer-to-peer payment services. Never pay people you don’t know by those payment methods
- Scammers use technology to mask or spoof their telephone numbers. Caller ID can no longer be relied upon
- Law enforcement will never contact you and demand money
For more information on how to protect yourself from falling victim to a scam, you can view online resources from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Denver District Attorney’s Office, Denver Police Department, or Experian.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.