Basic question you must ask can expose AI bots pretending to be humans – and ‘pattern’ sign also gives them away

ARTIFICIAL intelligence is being used by criminals to hoodwink victims – but there are signs to look for that give them away.

Cybersecurity experts have given The U.S. Sun some tips on how to identify when you’re talking to an AI chatbot and not a real person.

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AI is improving at a blistering pace so it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell chatbots apart from real people.

Experts say crooks can use AI chatbots to easily execute scams convincingly for multiple victims at once.

That means it’s more important than ever to be able to know if you’re talking to a scammer bot.

The U.S. Sun spoke to security awareness advocate at KnowBe4 Dr. Martin J. Kraemer, who revealed a key question to ask – and why you should look for patterns in conversations.

“Let’s take romance scams as an example,” Kraemer said.

“To find out whether you are talking to a bot or a real person, you can (1) ask for recent events, (2) look for repetitive patterns, and (3) be aware of any action that is asked of you.

“Malicious chat bots do not really want to chat afterall.

“They want you to take an action that is beneficial for an attacker but not for you.

“Be aware of the chat partner pushing your buttons and emotionally manipulating you.

“That is creating any request to help them out of a seemingly difficult situation which requires financial resources or other favors, and which appears to be getting worse over time.

“Especially, where you are allegedly the only person that can help. Are some or all of these true for your chat, then you are being manipulated.”

Asking for info on recent events banks on the fact that some AI chatbots don’t have up-to-date information – because they were trained a while ago.

If the person you’re talking to gives a convincing answer to that query, it’s not a guarantee that you’re talking to a human.

Phone scam statistics

Americans are bombarded with three billion spam phone calls a month. What are the figures regarding the number of victims and the amount of money lost to fraudsters

• In 2022, Americans lost some $39.5 billion to phone scams, with 68.4 million US citizens affected, according to TechReport.
• The average phone scam victim lost $567.41 each in 2021, a major rise on the 2021 figure of $182 per victim, according to Hiya.
• The majority of scams happen over the phone, with fraudsters twice as likely to call compared to text in 2021, as reports the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• In 2021, the US saw a 56% increase in spam phone calls with 60% of those being robocalls.
• US residents experienced an average of 18 spam phone calls per month, although some experts believe the true figure may be as high as 31 per month.
• Many phone calls from reputable businesses may be marked wrongly as spam, but 38% of companies have no idea whether they’re being marked as “potential fraud” or not, according to Hiya.
• Never hand over any personal or financial information if you suspect a phone call is a scam. For instance, your bank will never ask you for such details in full over the phone. 
• To cut down on spam phone calls and scams, sign up for the Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketers, by law, will need to check that list before they call you up.
• Downloading third-party apps such as Hiya, Nomorobo, or Truecaller can help filter out annoying spam calls.
• Try not to share your phone number unless you have to, especially online or with sketchy sources.

But if the person you’re talking to fails the question, it’s a dead giveaway that they’re a chatbot.

OTHER CLUES TO SPOT

The U.S. Sun recently revealed some other signs that you’re talking to an AI chatbot.

We spoke to Paul, consumer privacy advocate at Comparitech, who explained that there are three clues to watch for.

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“Look out for repetitive responses that seem to lack humor and empathy,” Paul explained to The U.S. Sun.

“Bots usually have impeccable spelling and grammar but clunky, wooden phrasing.

“Consistently fast response times are another sign.”

Generally it’s important to be cautious when you see the usual scam red flags too – artificial intelligence chatbot or not.

Be aware of the chat partner pushing your buttons and emotionally manipulating you.

Dr. Martin J. KraemerKnowBe4

So if someone on a social media site is asking for money or info urgently, that’s a worrying sign.

It’s especially important to be wary if they’re requesting payments using strange methods like cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Remember: be cautious, patient, and use common sense – if something seems too good to be true then it probably is.