Your loved ones scamming you? It could be AI

KUALA LUMPUR - Police have warned the public about the looming threat of fraudsters harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to deceive victims.

Speaking at a workshop dedicated to combating financial scams held at Lanai Kijang, here today, Federal Police Cyber and Multimedia Crime Deputy Director Senior Assistant Commissioner Zaldino Zainudin highlighted the relentless march of technology.

"The world of technology advances relentlessly, evolving within mere weeks and months," he cautioned.

Highlighting the adaptability of fraudsters, Zaldino explained that they have established their own research and development (R&D) units to stay in step with technological advancements.

Zaldino expressed his concern that AI could soon be employed to create counterfeit videos or audio recordings of individuals or to craft lifelike chatbots capable of impersonating trusted entities.

"This development could make it exceptionally challenging for individuals to differentiate between authentic and fraudulent communications," Zaldino added.

He also urged the public to exercise heightened vigilance and to treat any request for personal or banking information with skepticism.

"Do not be taken aback if one day you encounter fraudsters employing AI to trap victims.

"Their voices and images could closely mimic those of real people.

"Should these practices become commonplace, we may witness disruptions in human relationships," he said.

Earlier, Zaldino said a total of 25,477 financial crime cases have been reported involving RM776 million losses from January to July this year.

Of these cases, e-commerce cases peaked the list with 7,907 cases involving RM144.8 million losses.

"This shows that the public is still falling victim to these scams, despite the numerous warnings that have been issued by the authorities," he said.