Security experts warn reports of so-called “conversational scams,” such as pig slaughter, increased 12-fold last year and will be the fastest-growing threat to mobile users by 2022.
In a new blog post, Proofpoint explains that such scams typically require much longer lead times than phishing or malware delivery. Attackers initially approach their targets on social media and dating sites, then spend weeks trying to build trust and exchanging seemingly harmless messages.
However, the scammer’s real goal is to steal the victim’s information, money, or credentials.
Victims are often lured into investing in fake cryptocurrency schemes. According to the FBI, this type of pig slaughter scam is responsible for a surge in investment fraud that lost more than $3.3 billion last year.
Read more about hog slaughter: US authorities seize $112 million from ‘hog slaughter’ scammers.
“In addition to the financial loss, these attacks also have a high human cost. Both pig slaughter and romance scams involve an emotional investment on the part of the victim,” warns Proofpoint. .
“Trust can be earned and then abused, causing feelings of embarrassment and embarrassment alongside the real-world consequences of losing money.”
The vendor claimed to have evidence suggesting that some perpetrators of these scams were victims of human trafficking. Among them was a Chinese woman living in Cambodia. But machines could take over their jobs in the future, he added.
“The release of tools like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard heralds a new breed of chatbots that can understand context, display reasoning, and even attempt to persuade. AI bots trained to understand complex tax laws and investment instruments can be used to defraud even the most sophisticated victims,” concludes Proofpoint.
“Combined with image generation models that can create unique photographs of people that look real, conversational threat actors will soon be using AI as a full-stack criminal accomplice to catch and defraud victims. may create all the assets required for
