Where to start: staying safe with AI
The short answer: for most parents, the biggest AI risk is not using AI. It is scammers using AI against them. Three habits go a long way: pause when something feels urgent, check through a phone number or website you already trust, and never pay in the ways scammers ask for, like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
How scammers use AI
The tricks are mostly old ones. AI makes them more convincing.
- Cloned voices. The FTC warns that a short audio clip, maybe from something posted online, can be enough for a scammer to copy a family member's voice. Our guide on how to spot an AI voice scam covers this one in detail.
- Polished fake messages. Fake emails, texts, and calls pretending to be a bank, Medicare, or tech support used to be full of typos. AI can write them cleanly. Do not use spelling as your test.
- Fake celebrity endorsements. Scammers can make videos and ads that use the face or voice of a well-known investor to promote a fake investment. People may then be pulled into group chats full of made-up success stories.
- Fake friends and romances. Online “relationships” that move fast and end in a request for money can be run with AI-written messages and fake photos.
Five habits that cover almost everything
- Pause. Urgency is the trick. A real emergency can survive a two-minute check.
- Do not trust the voice, the face, or the caller ID. All three can be faked.
- Check on your own. Hang up and call back using a number you already have saved. For a website, type the address yourself instead of tapping a link.
- Be wary of secrecy. Scammers do not want you talking to anyone. The FTC says to call another family member or friend, even if the caller told you to keep it secret.
- Never pay the way scammers ask. Gift cards, wire transfers, and cryptocurrency are favorites. And if anyone tells you to move your money to “protect” it, that is a scam too.
Fake apps and surprise charges
- Use the official site or app. Type the address yourself, or install the app from your phone's app store and check the company name. Lookalike apps exist.
- Read the price before you confirm. If a “free trial” asks for a card, find out the date it starts charging, and write it down.
- Check statements. A small monthly charge nobody remembers is worth a question.
If it happens anyway
It happens to careful, smart people. If your parent made a mistake, the worst response is shame. Shame keeps people quiet while the money keeps moving. Here is what to do, in this order:
- Call the bank or card company right away. Say what happened and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed. Speed matters.
- Stop all contact with the scammer. Do not reply, and do not send more.
- Change passwords and tell the bank if any account details or codes were shared.
- Report it. File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the person who was scammed is 60 or older, the free National Elder Fraud Hotline, run by the U.S. Department of Justice, can help with reporting at the federal, state, and local levels: 1-833-372-8311 (1-833-FRAUD-11). Local police and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also take reports.
- Tell the family, and keep notes with dates, amounts, and how the money was sent.
Quick questions
Can AI tell me whether a message is a scam? It can point out warning signs in text you paste in, but it cannot confirm who really sent it. See our guide on asking AI to explain a confusing letter.
Should my parent let unknown calls go to voicemail? Many families find it a helpful habit. A real caller can leave a message, and your parent can then check it calmly.