SINGAPORE / EuroWire.IO / – The global law enforcement agency INTERPOL has initiated a campaign aimed at alerting individuals to the rising threat of scams employing AI-created or manipulated media. Announced on Monday, October 19, this effort features three short videos, all of which were generated using artificial intelligence technology. These clips demonstrate how synthetic media, commonly called deepfakes, can be exploited to deceive innocent people. The campaign’s core message encourages the public to “Wait. Validate. Don’t take the bait.” INTERPOL, which operates with 196 member nations, pointed out that awareness about this menace remains insufficient.
One of the videos depicts a criminal impersonating a superior, while others portray a female voice clone and a fabricated romantic partner. INTERPOL stated that generative AI applications and the large language models that support them are becoming increasingly sophisticated daily. The ease of creating convincing fakes has eliminated the need for advanced technical skills or significant financial investment. These tools can produce hyper-realistic avatars that speak naturally and replicate a person’s face or voice using only minimal internet-sourced material.
Initially, deepfake-related crimes were mainly seen as a risk to prominent public figures. However, they now frequently target private individuals through schemes involving investment fraud, impersonation, romance scams, sextortion, deepfake pornography, and disinformation campaigns. In practice, a victim might receive a video call from someone posing as a colleague requesting a bank transfer. Others might be contacted by a family member who appears to be in trouble. All these schemes aim to steal money or obtain sensitive personal information. Past reports have highlighted that criminal groups use AI to facilitate cybercrime and fraud.
Warning signs diminish as AI outpaces traditional scam indicators
Toshinobu Yasuhira, head of the INTERPOL Innovation Centre, emphasized that AI is erasing the typical signs of fraudulent activity. Mistakes such as misspelled words, inconsistent branding, or awkward formatting are becoming less common as early warning signals, Yasuhira explained. According to him, individuals across all ages, regions, and professional sectors are vulnerable to these new tactics. INTERPOL’s efforts are focused on equipping law enforcement agencies and the public with the knowledge and tools needed to identify these emerging threats early. Supporting this initiative, the United Nations adopted a landmark cybercrime treaty in December 2024 to enhance international cooperation against such criminal activities.
The organization urged caution when approached unexpectedly by strangers or individuals claiming to be friends, relatives, or trustworthy institutions. These initial contacts often quickly escalate to requests for personal details, banking information, or money. An additional warning sign is the urgency often associated with these requests, which may be linked to a personal crisis or family emergency. Scammers tend to use fear, stress, or insistence on secrecy to prevent victims from seeking advice. Payment demands made via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards should also be viewed with suspicion, given the difficulty in tracing such payments.
Confirm identities and establish a secure verification method
Rapidly escalating online relationships marked by declarations of love and emotional dependence can also suggest a scam. Victims may be pressured to leave official dating platforms, where monitoring and reporting systems exist. INTERPOL recommended staying calm and skeptical, taking time to evaluate any unusual requests—even if they come from someone who seems familiar. Discussing the situation with others can provide additional perspective. For unsolicited calls, hanging up and contacting the person through verified, known channels is advised.
Additionally, INTERPOL suggested that families and close friends agree on a secret word or question to verify identities during suspicious conversations. It’s also important to scrutinize the online profiles of new contacts and verify that their profile images haven’t been copied from other sources. Enabling two-factor authentication on all online accounts is another recommended precaution. This campaign is part of Project SynthWave PLUS, funded by the Government of Japan, which supports law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia and beyond in combating threats posed by synthetic media.