Senators request information about artificial intelligence scams targeting older Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Congress are working to find out more about artificial intelligence scams targeting older Americans as the technology continues to evolve.

A bipartisan group of Senators sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requesting information about how the pace of innovation in AI technology is influencing scams and how it is impacting older Americans.

The lawmakers are members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The letter pointed to specific examples as concerns.

“Voice-cloning technology in particular may facilitate imposter scams by allowing scammers to closely replicate an individual’s voice using just a short audio sample,” the letter said. “In one case, a scammer used this approach to convince an older couple that the scammer was their grandson in desperate need of money to make bail, and the couple almost lost $9,400 before a bank official alerted them to the potential fraud. Similarly, in Arizona, a scammer posing as a kidnapper used voice-cloning technology to duplicate the sounds of a mother’s crying daughter and demand ransom.”

Read: Tina Turner: Legendary singer dies at 83

The Senators requested a response to their letter from the FTC by June 20th.

With more of our voices and images all over social media and the internet, it’s easy for a scammer to sound like someone else using AI.

“We’ve already seen scams where AI generates somebody’s voice, so it sounds like a loved one who is asking you to do something over the phone and it’s fake,” said Alexandra Givens, CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology.

Read: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis files paperwork to run for president

Earlier this month, a Senate committee held a hearing about artificial intelligence and pointed to concerns about the unknowns surrounding AI and the potential harms.

“Impersonation fraud. Voice cloning. Deep fakes,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

“Many members of Congress do not understand artificial intelligence,’ said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).

Read: Mayor Dyer shares positive message for future of Orlando during ‘State of the City’ address

We asked the Better Business Bureau (BBB) about what people can do to avoid falling victim to these seemingly convincing scams.

“If something doesn’t seem like it’s on the up and up, if it doesn’t sound 100 percent, hang up,” said Melanie McGovern, Director of PR and Social Media for BBB. “You just really want to have that conversation. Know the red flags and know don’t give them any information… We’re going to visit my in-laws this weekend. We’re going to have those conversations. They’re in their 80s. Talk about it.”

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2023 Cox Media Group