Experts Warn of a Raging Scam-demic Fueled by AI Deepfake Technology

A tidal wave of highly convincing scams fueled by artificial intelligence is sweeping across the globe, prompting cybersecurity experts to warn of a new and dangerous "scam-demic" where it is becoming nearly impossible to trust what you see and hear online.

The warning, amplified this week by leading cybersecurity analyst Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, highlights the terrifying accessibility and sophistication of deepfake technology. What was once a niche, complex tool requiring significant computing power is now available through cheap, easy-to-use apps, allowing criminals to create realistic fake videos and clone voices with alarming speed and accuracy.

"We've moved past the era of poorly written email scams. We are now in a full-blown scam-demic," Galperin stated in a recent cybersecurity briefing. "AI is industrializing fraud. It allows criminals to scale their operations and create personalized, emotionally manipulative content that bypasses our natural human defenses."

This new generation of scams is exploiting the power of AI in several chilling ways:

Virtual Kidnapping and Family Emergencies: Scammers can now take a short audio clip of a person's voice from a social media video and use AI to clone it. They then call a parent or grandparent, using the cloned voice to create a frantic, believable message: "Mom, I've been in an accident, I'm in trouble, please send money to this account right away." The emotional panic of hearing a loved one's voice is often enough to make people act before they think.

CEO Fraud on a New Level: Corporate scams are also evolving. Criminals are using AI to create deepfake videos for internal video calls. A finance department employee might receive a video call from someone who looks and sounds exactly like their CEO, urgently instructing them to make a multi-million dollar wire transfer to a new "vendor."

Fake Celebrity Endorsements: Fraudulent investment schemes and scam products are being promoted using hyper-realistic deepfake videos of well-known figures. A video of a famous billionaire or a beloved local celebrity appearing to passionately endorse a new cryptocurrency or a miracle health product can easily dupe unsuspecting fans.

Sophisticated Romance Scams: Scammers are no longer just using stolen photos. They are now able to create entire synthetic personas, complete with a portfolio of AI-generated images and the ability to engage in short, convincing deepfake video calls, making it harder than ever to spot a fraudulent love interest.


Experts are urging the public to adopt a "zero-trust" mindset when it comes to unsolicited digital communications, especially those that create a sense of urgency or ask for money.

Key advice for staying safe includes:

Establish a Code Word: Have a secret code word or question with close family members that only they would know. If you receive a frantic call, ask for the code word to verify their identity.

Verify, Then Trust: If you receive an urgent request from a boss or colleague, verify it through a different communication channel, like a phone call to their known number or a direct message on a separate platform.

Look for the Uncanny Valley: While deepfakes are getting better, they are not always perfect. Look for unnatural eye movements, strange lighting, or a voice that doesn't quite match the person's lip movements.

Here in Ibadan, and in cities across the world, the message is clear: the digital landscape has fundamentally changed. The tools to manipulate reality are now in the hands of criminals, and our skepticism must evolve just as quickly to keep up.