In today’s digital world, identity theft and fraud have become increasingly common occurrences. It is no secret that fraudsters are getting more creative, making it more challenging for businesses and individuals to protect themselves. However, with the advent of technology, there are various ways to mitigate these risks, such as using government databases for ID verification.

Each day, there are multiple news stories about fraud. Some share details about fraud committed against government entities or agencies, some tell us about instances in our educational institutions, and still, others describe the types of fraud against individuals in the form of identity theft. In the post-pandemic United States, fraud has increased in the public sector because our government has made benefits more accessible to those in need.

Is it a bot? Or is it a human? Is it texting spam? Or is it a promo message? These are just some of the questions online users ask when navigating websites, notifications, and messages. These questions are not only fair, but they're also necessary. While there are pros and cons to navigating an online world with AI and chatbots, it's essential to know how to spot fake AI communication so you can protect yourself from scammers and cybercriminals.

In our last blog, we looked at 2022’s most prominent global payment fraud trends, including application fraud and synthetic identities, bot-driven DDoS attacks, brute force BIN attacks, and authorized push payment fraud. We also discussed the convergence of cybercrime and payment fraud as cybercriminals constantly look for new ways to exploit payment networks by distracting infosec teams with cyberattacks while they launch fraud attacks.

Scam calls are phone calls you may receive that are unsolicited, spoofed and claim to be from someone or a company they’re not. For example, you may receive a phone call claiming to be law enforcement and while the caller ID and location may match a legitimate police department, it has been spoofed to look legitimate. There are a few ways you can prevent receiving scam calls such as getting an app that blocks them.

Deepfakes are forged images, audio, and videos that are created using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning technologies. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), deepfake videos are increasing at an annual rate of 900%, and recent technological advances have made it easier to produce them. VMware states that two out of three defenders report that deepfakes were used as a part of an attack to influence operations, or to launch disinformation campaigns.