New type of scam can put your email at risk

Cyber ​​scams have reached a new level of sophistication thanks to the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI ). These advanced tactics are allowing cybercriminals to create frauds that are nearly impossible to detect, even for cybersecurity experts .

The combination of phishing and deepfakes creates a scenario in which any user, no matter how prepared they are, could fall into the trap.

AI-powered cyber scams: how do they work?

The most common method employed by criminals involves using AI to develop highly realistic phishing attacks . It all starts with an email that appears to come from a trusted source, such as a prompt to reset your Gmail account due to suspicious activity.

What sets this new generation of scams apart is that after the email, the scammers make phone calls with AI -generated voices that imitate Google employees . To increase credibility, they use technology that allows the phone number to be spoofed, making it match a legitimate one.

One of the most shocking cases was that of Sam Mitrovic, a Microsoft security expert, who almost fell victim to this type of fraud. He received a call from a supposed Google support agent, who assured him that his account had been compromised by access from Germany .

Although skeptical, he checked the number and found that it was associated with Google, which almost led him to fall for the scam.

Why are these scams so hard to spot?

The combination of advanced phishing and deepfake technology allows cybercriminals to mimic voices and responses with a high degree of accuracy. This, coupled with AI ’s ability to generate responses in real time, makes these scams more believable than traditional phishing methods, which often included grammatical errors or suspicious links.

The level of authenticity of these scams is designed to exploit human trust, even among those who are used to detecting fraud. This has led to traditional security tools not being sufficient to detect this new type of threat.

How to protect your Gmail account from these scams?

To minimize the risk of falling for this type of scam, it is essential to follow good security practices:

• Don’t trust unexpected calls: Google will never ask you for personal information over the phone. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and verify the authenticity by other means.
• Avoid clicking on links in unverified emails that request password changes or account information.
• Enable two-step authentication to add an extra layer of security
• Monitor your account activity with Google Security Alerts , which will inform you of unusual accesses.