Schemes that once required a highly trained coder can now be managed by technically unskilled criminals who purchase sophisticated AI scamming software “off the shelf.” Image: PeopleImages/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe rapid growth of artificial intelligence capabilities has “sparked an unprecedented surge in sophisticated scams that seniors are highly susceptible to,” says a report from the Senate Aging Committee.
“AI-generated scams, including deepfakes and voice cloning, are far more convincing and effective than traditional scams when used to target and victimize seniors. These scams often involve using AI to create realistic impressions of celebrities or a victim’s loved ones. AI can also boost traditional scams through enhanced data collection or by generating high quality responses for use by scammers,” it says.
It said that fraud recorded by the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network shows that losses among adults 60 and older grew from $600 million to $2.4 billion over 2020-2024, and that the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that losses among that age group reached of $7.7 billion in 2025, up from $4.8 billion in 2024.
It says that AI increasingly is used for:
“deepfakes”—altering a video, photo or audio recording to make it appear that someone is in conversation with a celebrity or known wealthy person—commonly used in financial scams and romance scams;
voice cloning—capturing elements of someone’s voice and using it to generate speech—in what commonly is called the grandparent scam, to “impersonate a senior’s loved ones, using a loved one’s cloned voice to convince the senior that their loved one needs money for an emergency”;
phishing emails to trick people into giving away sensitive information, which are more personalized and authentic-seeming than in the past, resulting in higher “click-through” rates.
“Additionally, AI has industrialized the fraud industry. Schemes that once required a highly trained coder can now be managed by technically unskilled criminals who purchase sophisticated AI scamming software “off the shelf.” Scamming software sells on the dark web for as little as $20, allowing for a massive increase in the use of this nefarious software,” it says.
It adds, “The most consistent finding across federal fraud data is that the scams causing the greatest harm to seniors share a common set of warning signs that, if recognized early, can prevent catastrophic losses.” These include that any unsolicited contact by phone, text, email, or social media should be treated with immediate skepticism, regardless of how professional or urgent it appears; and a request for payment via gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash.
It also recommends establishing a family code word or verbal safe phrase that can be used to verify identity when a family member appears to be calling in distress.
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