Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used for criminal purposes and this already concerns everyone

The fact that artificial intelligence is not only a good thing was said back in the early 90s. Now technologies not only solve problems, but are also used for control that violates rights and freedoms. Crime is not lagging behind in this regard — cybercriminals are becoming more resourceful and equipped. In order to get hold of someone else's money, you don't even need to be a hacker.

In 2020, a large bank was robbed in the UAE in a fundamentally new way. Criminals, using artificial intelligence, forged the voice of a large client. They convinced the employee by phone to transfer money to their accounts in different banks. The crime was committed a year and a half ago, but it became known about it only now.

The deepfake voice was indistinguishable from the voice of the director of one of the large companies using the services of the bank. The fraudster told the bank clerk that the company was planning a big deal. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer $ 35 million (2.5 billion rubles) to a new company account.

The bank employee knew the voice of this client well, so he took his word for it. He also knew that the director of the company had recently talked about such a deal with the head of his department. The bank employee was finally calmed down by fake letters from the company and a call from a fake lawyer.

In total, the operation to withdraw money from the bank took a couple of hours. Investigators found out that 17 people participated in the scheme, and deepfake technologies played a key role. The money received by fraud immediately dispersed to many accounts in banks in different countries. The criminals were not afraid to open two accounts even in the reputable American Centennial Bank.

Experts in the field of information security believe that anyone can be in the place of an Arab bank. Artificial intelligence technologies are becoming more and more accessible and not only the bank may suffer. It doesn't cost attackers anything to get a sample of any person's voice. With such a file, they can fake speech with a high degree of accuracy.

After that, it's easy to call friends, employees or relatives and ask them to transfer money. The reason can be anything, ranging from an unplanned large purchase, ending with solving a problem with the law. Now no one is surprised by calls to elderly people on behalf of their children and grandchildren. Scammers are asking for help to pay for a broken car or pay for treatment.

This method works well even without high technology. Imagine how effective it will be if criminals ask for money in the first person, in the voice of a loved one. And what about a call to the accounting department with the voice of the director? Agree, it can be an almost perfect crime.

Programs for creating deepfakes are not the only thing that technology has enriched modern "gentlemen of fortune" with. It is no longer uncommon for such a type of fraud as a call from a substituted number. Phone number replacement apps were once conceived as a way of a fun prank. But now some people were not laughing.

Special programs allow you to call from a number that you have recorded as "Mom", "Wife" or "Director". The divorce scheme is simple — the message asks you to top up your bank card or mobile account. Having called under the guise of a relative from a substituted number, the attackers demand money. Most often they present themselves as police officers and extort a bribe. The reason is a crime committed by a loved one, to which the police "can turn a blind eye."

There are a lot of schemes for withdrawing money from citizens with the help of such simple phishing. And in order to create a substitution number, you don't need to be a computer genius. The easiest way used by criminals is the Skype virtual number function. More advanced scammers use paid applications such as "Changing number".

But the most innovative solutions can be purchased in the shadow segment of the Internet, the so-called Deep Web. There, programmers who are not burdened with principles offer both ready-made solutions and custom software creation. The combination of a voice deepfake and number substitution can fool the most cautious person. Technically, this is already quite feasible.

How to protect yourself and your loved ones from daring and well-equipped scammers? This is not easy to do, but it is quite possible. First of all, train yourself not to be led by emotions. Check the information, especially when it comes to money. After receiving a strange call or message from a familiar number, call the subscriber back. Use another communication channel, for example, Viber, Skype or a second phone number.

To make it more difficult for criminals, never use statements in a conversation with strangers. Dangerous words can be considered: "yes", "of course", "I confirm", "I agree", "it's me". These words and phrases can be copied by cunning attackers and used for verification in the bank.