As we enter the holiday season, many of us look forward to festive gatherings, shopping sprees, and, of course, sharing the season’s joy with loved ones. Unfortunately, it’s also a prime time for cybercriminals who are using advanced AI tools to craft smarter, more personalized phishing scams. Today’s scammers aren’t just sending generic “You’ve won a gift card!” emails. They’re leveraging AI to create targeted attacks that can fool even the savviest among us. Here’s how AI is changing the phishing game—and how you can protect yourself.
Traditional phishing emails often contained misspellings, clunky formatting, or generic language, which many of us learned to spot and avoid. But with AI, cybercriminals can instantly generate phishing emails tailored to each target. AI scrapes social media, public data, and past email interactions to generate convincing messages that reference personal details like recent purchases, family names, or even specific events. Imagine receiving an email that references the exact brand of shoes you bought last month or the restaurant you mentioned in a social post. It’s no longer easy to brush off a phishing attempt as “obviously fake” when it feels that personal.
Phishing scams aren’t limited to text anymore. With AI-driven voice synthesis, scammers can mimic the voices of people you know or trust. Imagine getting a voicemail from someone who sounds exactly like your boss, asking you to buy gift cards for a holiday event. Or receiving a “holiday greeting” video message that appears to feature a friend, complete with a link to a fake holiday website. AI-powered deepfake technology is making it possible for scammers to clone voices and appearances, so if you hear from someone unexpectedly this season, it’s worth double-checking their identity before clicking any links or sharing personal information.
This time of year, scammers take advantage of charitable spirits by setting up fake donation requests. With AI-generated “deepfake” faces and videos, attackers can impersonate real charity representatives, using visuals that seem legitimate. In some cases, scammers create videos featuring familiar locations or trustworthy individuals to boost their credibility. You might see a fake video message from someone claiming to represent a local charity or community initiative, asking for a donation to help those in need. These scams can be hard to detect but remember: if it feels too perfectly crafted or appears unusually emotional, it’s worth a second look.
AI-powered scams can be hard to spot, but certain red flags can still tip you off:
- Overly Perfect Grammar and Tone: Old-school phishing emails were riddled with errors, but AI-generated messages are often polished. If a message feels a little too professional or perfectly worded, proceed with caution.
- Extra-Personalization: Phishing emails that reference specific details about your recent activities, purchases, or social media posts should raise suspicion.
- Strange Visual or Audio Quality: Deepfakes can sometimes have small inconsistencies, like slightly out-of-sync audio or lighting that doesn’t look quite natural. Pay attention if something feels “off.”
- Exaggerated Urgency: Scammers still rely on urgency to prompt action. Be cautious of emails or calls that demand immediate responses, especially if they push you toward an unfamiliar website or ask for unusual personal information.
The holiday season is meant for joy, not for dealing with cybercriminals who exploit the spirit of the season. By staying vigilant and learning how AI is being used to enhance phishing tactics, you can enjoy a safer holiday season. If you’d like help building a comprehensive phishing awareness program for your team, reach out to us. We specialize in helping end users recognize and respond to phishing threats. Contact us at support@bedelsecurity.com to get started.