Science and Technology

[Fox News] Can AI help someone stage a fake kidnapping scam against you or your family?

You may feel confident in your ability to avoid becoming a victim of cyber scams. You know what to look for, and you won’t let someone fool you.

Then you receive a phone call from your son, which is unusual because he rarely calls. You hear a shout and sounds resembling a scuffle, making you take immediate notice. Suddenly, you hear a voice that you are absolutely certain is your son, screaming for help. When the alleged kidnappers come on the line and demand money to keep your son safe, you are sure that everything is real because you heard his voice.

Unfortunately, scammers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic the voices of people, potentially turning these fake voices into things like kidnapping scams. This particular scam seems to be rare, but it’s happening. 

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Such fake emergency scams occur frequently enough that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provided warnings and examples for consumers. Hard numbers that indicate the frequency of these calls aren’t readily available, though, especially for calls known to make use of AI.

Such scams are certainly possible with current AI technology. Fake video and audio of politicians and other famous people are appearing with regularity. Aided by AI, these clips are frighteningly believable.

You may recall the incident in late 2023 involving a fake dental plan advertisement that featured Tom Hanks. AI technology created the video. Hanks had to make a social media post calling out the fake advertisement.

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The AI technology creates a fake by analyzing a sampling of an audio clip of the person it wants to mimic. It uses its ability to interpret incredible amounts of data to take note of multiple characteristics of the person’s voice, allowing it to make a highly realistic fake.

Once the AI is able to create the fake audio, programmers then tell it what to say, creating a personalized message designed to sell dental plans or to convince you that your loved one is in trouble with kidnappers.

Some AI programmers that use the fake audio for helpful purposes — such as for allowing people with medical problems like ALS to regain their “speech” — claim they can mimic a voice with as little as a few minutes of audio clips. However, the more audio that’s available, the more realistic the mimicked voice should sound. Twenty minutes of audio is far better than three, for example.

As AI’s capabilities continue to expand at breakneck speed, you can expect the time requirements to shrink in future years.

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Realistically, the vast majority of people don’t have to worry about a fake kidnapping scheme that originates from AI-generated audio. If your loved one has a lot of video and audio on social media, though, the scammers may be able to find enough source audio to create a realistic fake.

Even though AI makes this type of scam easier to perform, the setup process still remains too time-consuming for most scammers. After all, scammers in this type of scheme are relying on your rapidly expanding fear at receiving this type of call to cause you to miss obvious clues that would tell you it’s a fake. 

The scammers may simply have a random child scream and sob uncontrollably, while allowing you to rapidly jump to the conclusion that it’s your child. This is far easier than using AI to try to source and generate audio … at least for now.

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Even though the scammers try to gain the upper hand with the suddenness of the fake kidnapping call and by catching you off guard, you have some steps you can take before and after you receive this type of call to prepare and protect yourself.

1. Ask your loved ones to keep you informed about trips: Fake kidnappers may try to convince you that the abduction is taking place outside your city. However, if you know that your loved one did not leave town, you can be confident that the call is probably a fake.

2. Set up a safe word or phrase: Set up a safe word that your loved ones should use if they ever are calling you because of a dangerous situation or because they are under duress. A scammer is not going to know this safe word. If you don’t hear the safe word, you know it’s probably a fake call.

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3. Use privacy settings on social media: Ask your family members to limit who can see their social media posts. This would make it harder for a scammer to obtain source audio that’s usable in a fake kidnapping audio call. For more information on maintaining and protecting your online privacy, click here. 

4. Try to text your loved one: Either during or immediately after the call, send a text message to your loved one without telling the caller. Ask your loved one to text you back immediately, so you can converse without tipping off the scammers. If you receive a text back, you can be confident the call is a fake. Consider creating a code word that you can use with the entire family. When you send this code word in a text, everyone knows it’s a serious situation that requires an immediate response.

5. Stay calm and think things through: Finally, although it is incredibly difficult to stay calm when you receive this kind of call, it’s important to keep thinking clearly. Do not panic. Regardless of whether it’s a real call or a scam call, panicking is never going to help. Listen for clues that make it obvious the call is a scam. Try to gather some information that can help you make a clear-headed judgment about the legitimacy of the call.

As AI continues to become more readily available and gains sophistication, scammers will be ready to take advantage of it. Perhaps by then, AI will even the playing field by coming up with ways to help us protect ourselves. Until then, taking steps to protect your family, such as by setting up a safe word, can give you some peace of mind.

Are you concerned about how scammers may take advantage of AI to create new scams?  Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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Business

[Fox Business] Passover’s dietary restrictions led to new market demographic for Jewish food company: gluten-free consumers

As Passover begins on Monday at sundown, a Jewish food company told FOX Business that a new demographic of consumers has embraced its products: people with Celiac disease and other gluten intolerance issues. 

“Gluten-free was not created in Whole Foods in the 1990s,” said Charles Herzog, president of Kayco, the parent company of Manischewitz. “It was created at Mount Sinai thousands of years ago.” 

Manischewitz Company was founded by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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During Passover, observant Jews follow strict dietary restrictions — even stricter than kosher diets for the rest of the year. A person who keeps kosher does not eat shellfish or pork, or mix milk and meat products. 

The eight-day holiday of Passover, however, has its own set of dietary rules. 

“We all remember the story in the Bible. The Jews left Egypt and they didn’t have time for the dough to rise or leaven. As a result, instead of bread they had matzah,” Rabbi Moshe Elefant told FOX Business. 

Elefant is chief operating officer and executive rabbinic coordinator of OU Kosher, a kosher certification agency. 

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“During Passover, in commemoration of this event, Jews avoid any grain-based foods. Anything made from grain, except if it is made from matzah, is restricted and called chametz,” he said. 

Matzah, or ground up matzah, known as matzah flour, are the only products containing gluten that are considered kosher for Passover, said Elefant. 

“Passover for someone with Celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet is a dream,” he said. 

“Passover presents so many options,” including “cakes, pancake mixes, snacks, and crackers.” 

Manischewitz found out almost by accident that there was a new demand for its Passover products: those who did not necessarily keep kosher, but who desired gluten-free products. 

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“It used to be that after the holiday, we would put the Passover products on closeout,” said Herzog. “Right after Passover, we had a list of people calling us to say that they want to buy our closeouts.” 

The company realized there was “this huge community” of people who were looking to have a gluten-free diet and seeking their Passover products year-round. 

“And that’s where we said, ‘OK, let’s do this. We’re going to start developing products for (people avoiding gluten) and not just as an afterthought,'” Herzog said.

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He added, “We created a brand called Absolutely Gluten Free, which really was seeded in Passover, but now offers everyday gluten-free items.” 

Previously, said Herzog, potato starch was the “go-to” Passover flour alternative. 

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“As the years progressed, people became smarter,” he said. “They started to play with cassava flour, coconut flour, and tapioca starch. Almond flour is really big, because it has its own nutrients and consumers like the idea of having protein and nutrition in the products.” 

As for Elefant, who does not normally follow a gluten-free diet outside of Passover, he said the innovations in products that are kosher for Passover have revolutionized the menu for the holiday. 

“When I grew up, the Passover diet was very limited. You had matzah, potatoes, basic dairy products, proteins, fruits and vegetables,” he said.

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Now, “Passover has become huge.”

He added, “I myself can’t believe all the products that are available, whether it’s bagels or pizza, muffin batters, or bread crumbs that have nothing to do with bread.”

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