A World With a Familiar Voice That Cannot be Trusted
Imagine if one day you get a voice note from someone asking you for help with urgent financial assistance. The voice is not alien to you. In fact, it is someone close to you, and the voice note is so convincing that you decide to provide help immediately. However, you later discover that the person who asked for your help never asked for help at all. That is what artificial intelligence can do and what the rise of this technology means for Pakistan.
From Bogus Communications to Full-Stop Fraud
Typical online scams usually tend to have some form of spelling mistake or have suspicious links embedded within it, which can be used to identify them. However, scams generated by AI can be sophisticated and can be in form of a voice note, image, or message that can easily mislead people, especially since the technology can be used to clone people’s voices and generate accurate images.
For Pakistan, this could be a bigger threat since more people are embracing mobile and digital payments, online banking, and voice messages as part of their daily lives.
From Suspicious Links to Suspect Voices
With advances in technology, more scam opportunities are generated, taking advantage of people’s naivety and carelessness with personal information. AI can generate emails and messages that appear to come from trusted sources and can impersonate voices of people one would trust such as family members and friends; employers; banks; and government officials.
The main challenge is that people are easily manipulated and charmed into giving out personal information, especially if the scam artist has managed to access and use personal information and valuable data.
Why Pakistan Needs To Care
Pakistan’s shift towards a digital economy presents an enormous opportunity but comes with its share of risks and vulnerabilities. Pakistanis are increasingly reliant on messaging applications, social media, and other digital platforms for financial payments and other online services.
AI scams can easily take advantage of this and Pakistanis should begin to question the authenticity of all digital communications. The next time someone’s voice says something strange or the picture seems suspicious, double-check before taking any action. In the wake of more advanced technology, Pakistanis should not rely on the authenticity of voices or pictures alone to confirm who someone is. A password or a pin should not be enough to share financial information or provide any form of personal data.
Can Pakistan’s Cybercrime Institutions Handle This?
In Pakistan, law enforcement investigative practices are challenged with increasing sophistication of digital technology. Detectives and investigators usually follow a particular trail to discover who committed a crime and its context, such as how the criminal got away with it and their weak links that can lead to their conviction.
With AI technology, investigators might have to depend on digital forensics to discover if the message, voice or image that led to the scam was manufactured, and if so, how it was done and by whom. Pakistan’s cybercrime institutions and investigative departments should start asking these questions and develop appropriate response mechanisms, including setting up responsive channels to help support people who end up being scammed.
However, detecting AI generated scams alone will not be enough. Investigators will have to identify other aspects of the crime, including the context and circumstances that led to scam.
How People Can Avoid Being Scammed
There are some basic security measures that people can take to protect themselves from being scammed. When in doubt, especially with regard to some form of urgent financial support, always find a way to confirm by using a separate means of communication. It is always wise to agree on some form of a family secret word or phrase that can be used as a form of verification in case of an emergency. Never give out personal PINs or passwords and avoid clicking on suspicious links. Also, save any information or communication that can be used when seeking redress.
People should always find a way to report such scams to the relevant authorities, especially if they still have access to the relevant digital platforms.
The Challenge Ahead
Artificial intelligence technology can be used to manipulate and mislead people and Pakistanis should begin to question everything they hear, especially on digital platforms. Pakistan needs to put in place comprehensive measures to help people be more aware and understand the impact of this technology. Pakistan’s cybercrime institutions need to be more prepared to handle such scams and have the know-how to detect and deal with the crime. Technology is a great enabler, and the way it is applied determines whether it causes harm or helps.