Cloned voices
Scammers can copy a real person’s voice from audio posted online, then call as a relative in trouble or a boss who needs money sent fast.
Gone are the days when one could confidently say, “Seeing is believing.”
Spotting the flaws keeps getting harder, so the bests defense is to slow down and check where something came from before you act on it.
22,364
complaints to the FBI in 2025 involved, AI costing Americans nearly $893 million
SourceFBI 2025 Internet Crime Report
what's changed
How scammers use AI now
Deepfake video
Fake videos of celebrities and public figures pitch investments and products. Scammers can also appear on live video calls looking like someone you know.
Fake photos and profiles
AI-made photos give fake social media accounts, online sellers and romance scammers a real-looking face and a believable backstory.
Flawless messages
AI writes scam emails and texts without the spelling and grammar mistakes people were once told to watch for.
out of date
Don't rely on the old giveaways
A few years ago, AI fakes had obvious flaws. Most of those have been fixed. Not finding a flaw doesn’t mean something is real, so use these checks instead of hunting for mistakes.
Counting fingers and teeth. Newer image tools rarely get hands, faces or teeth wrong.
Watching for blinking. Current deepfake video blinks, moves and lip-syncs naturally.
Robotic voices. Cloned voices can carry real emotion, accents and pauses.
Typos and odd grammar. AI writes clean, natural messages in almost any language.
the best red flag
Look at the context for red flags.
Because generative AI capabilities are advancing at an incredible rate, it is becoming very hard to spot fakes. The most reliable cause for suspicion may be the context in which you see a potentially faked image or hear a voice. Ask yourself these kinds of questions: is the image or voice being used with pressure to take an urgent action, one that seems questionable, such as sending money to a stranger, or through an unexpected or odd payment mechanism? Is the context political, and does it seem like someone is trying to make you feel angry or emotional? If the image or voice is one of a friend or loved one, don't respond to any requests that come with it before you contact that person offline to see if it's a genuine message.
protect yourself
How to check before you trust it
Pick a family code word. Agree on a secret word or phrase with family members. If someone calls or messages claiming to be a loved one in an emergency, ask for it. A voice clone won’t know it.
Hang up and call back. If a call, voice message or video call asks for money or personal information, end it. Then contact the person or business yourself, using a number you already have or one from their official website.
Check the source. This can be hard to do when a video or photo goes viral on social media, but it’s essential if you want to know if you’re looking at a fake. Try to trace the photo back to the original post to see who shared the image or video and why they shared it. If it shows shocking political events or messages, ask yourself if the news is on social media or mainstream media. Why might mainstream media be hesitant to pick up the story? It’s probably fake news corroborated by AI-generated images and videos. If no trusted news outlet or official account is reporting it, treat it with caution.
Do a reverse image search. If you’re having trouble figuring out where an image came from, try a reverse image search. This can bring up all the websites where the image has been shared, which can help you understand the context of the image and its origins.
Look for an AI label. Some AI tools now attach a hidden label, often called Content Credentials, that records whether an image or video was made or edited with AI. Free checkers can read it. Many tools don’t add one, and social media sites often strip it out, so a missing label doesn’t prove something is real.
Limit what you share publicly. Scammers build voice clones and fake profiles from public photos, videos and voice recordings. Make social media accounts private and keep followers to people you know.
When in doubt, seek out another source. If you’re not confident that what you’re reading is coming from a credible source, seek out the information from another source.
looking closer
Clues that can still help
These clues can catch lower-quality fakes, but newer AI often shows none of them. Treat them as extra checks, not proof.
If you see a surprising photo of a politician or celebrity, look closer before you believe what’s in the picture. Search the image in the highest-possible resolution and then zoom in. You’ll likely find a few giveaways if you’re looking at an AI-generated image. Take this image of the Pope that recently went viral, for example. A closer look reveals glasses that seem to melt into the Pope’s face, fingers that don’t quite close around the coffee cup hanging from thin air, and a crucifix held up with half a chain. Divine intervention? Definitely not. These are all inconsistencies generated by AI. Look for anything that doesn’t make physical sense, like text that turns to gibberish, objects that blend into each other, or jewelry and glasses that don’t match from one side to the other.
AI images often have textured backgrounds or an airbrushed look that real photos don’t share. You might also notice strange-looking backgrounds or sharp images with random blurry spots. An “airbrushed” appearance is noticeable in the AI-generated image above.
In some AI-generated videos, shadows or light may appear to flicker only on the face of the person speaking or possibly only in the background. This is especially true of low-quality deep fake videos.
Synthetic audio might sound a little strange too. Choppy sentences, confusing inflection, or background sounds that don’t match the speaker’s location are all dead giveaways.
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Report an AI scam
Spotted a scam that used a fake voice, video or photo? Report it to BBB Scam Tracker to help others stay alert.
Explore the BBB AI Hub
Learn more about using AI safely and how businesses and consumers can protect themselves.
Report to the FBI
If you lost money to a scam that used AI, you can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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