|
AI Unlocked
Your trusted guide on the AI journey
|
|
Issue #15 • September 29, 2026
Scams Aren't New. AI Made Them More Convincing — But It Can Also Help You Check.
|
|
The "your grandson's in trouble" phone call. The prize you never entered. The urgent notice from a "bank." None of this started with AI. Scams have been around a lot longer than computers.
What has changed is that the crooks are now using AI to make their scams more convincing. Bad spelling and clumsy English used to give them away. Now the emails are polished, the fake websites look real, and a phone call can even sound like someone you love.
The good news is that the same technology is on your side too. This week I'll show you how to use it to check a suspicious message before you click, pay, or call back.
|
|
$7.7 billion
Lost to online crime by Americans 60 and over in 2025, according to the FBI. That's up about 60% from the year before. More than $350 million of it was tied to scams that used AI.
|
|
|
This Week's Russell Rundown
|
Is This Email a Scam? Let's Check.
Watch me check a suspicious email with AI, in under three minutes.
Watch the Rundown →
|
|
In the video, a made-up email says my package is stuck and asks for a $2.95 "verification fee" within 24 hours. Here's what I do with it:
1. Take out your personal details. Before pasting anything into AI, remove your name, address, account and card numbers. AI doesn't need them to judge the message.
2. Ask what looks suspicious, and why. In my example, it caught a brand-new fee nobody mentioned, a 24-hour deadline meant to rush me, and a reply-to address that didn't match the store's.
3. Check it yourself. Don't click links or call numbers in the message. Contact the company using a phone number or website you already know is real.
|
|
Copy This Prompt
"I received this message and I'm not sure it's legitimate. I've removed my personal details. What looks suspicious, what seems believable, and what should I check on my own before I respond?"
Paste it into ChatGPT (or any AI you use), followed by the message. And remember: a reassuring answer isn't proof. You make the final call.
|
|
|
This Week's Tool
|
|
Norton Genie is a free scam checker from Norton, the security company. Unlike ChatGPT, it's built for just this one job. Take a screenshot of a suspicious text or email on your phone, upload it (or paste the words in), and Genie tells you whether it looks like a scam, why, and what to do next.
It's a free app for iPhone and Android, and it also works inside ChatGPT. I've put the details and simple how-to steps on our Tools page.
|
|
See Norton Genie on the Tools Page →
|
|
One more tip, straight from the FBI: pick a family "code word." If you ever get a panicked call that sounds like a grandchild, ask for the word. A cloned voice won't know it.
|
|
|
Coming next week: privacy. It's a separate question from scams: what you should (and shouldn't) share with ChatGPT and other AI tools, and the settings worth changing. That one comes with a full Go-Deeper Guide.
Stay curious, and stay skeptical.
Gary
|
|
AI Unlocked | Your trusted guide on the AI journey
aiunlocked.us
|
