Inventory of four new AI fraud methods, experts: Use the simplest method to prevent being deceived

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According to the WeChat public account of "Safe Baotou", recently, the Telecommunications and Internet Crime Investigation Bureau of the Baotou Public Security Bureau of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region released a case of telecommunications fraud using intelligent AI technology. Mr. Guo, the legal representative of a technology company in Fuzhou, was defrauded of 4.3 million yuan in 10 minutes.

To summarize the incident briefly, the scammer used intelligent AI face-changing technology, DeepFake, to pretend to be Mr. Guo’s friend, and used WeChat video chat to gain his trust and trick him into making large transfers.

What is AI face-swapping? It is to replace someone else's face with your own face through AI artificial intelligence technology, and the facial expression is natural and the effect is realistic. According to the police, there are many other AI frauds, and the success rate is close to 100% through voice synthesis, AI face-swapping, voice forwarding and other means.

The principle of Deepfake technology is machine learning

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In this fraud case, a new technical term Deepfake came into the public eye.

Deepfake is a term that combines deep machine learning and fake photos. It can be understood as fake photos, fake videos and other fake products made by machines through deep learning, that is, deep fakes. The most common application is "AI face swapping", which is to transplant one person's face onto another person's face.

When swapping faces, the machine first needs to identify the position of the face. Face recognition and calibration are also widely used in fields such as autonomous driving. The current development is very mature, with a recognition rate of over 98%.

The face orientation and facial expression of the face material used for face swapping are often different from those of the face in the video to be swapped. Therefore, after identifying the face position, the machine needs to further calibrate the face. By finding the area with distinct features on the face, the machine can determine the orientation and expression of the face in each frame, and then match the face to be inserted in the video to be swapped with the material.

After the match is completed, the face-changing technology does not simply paste the face-changing material on the face of the person to be replaced. Simply pasting the image can be easily recognized by the naked eye and it is difficult to achieve the effect of "fake and real". The further learning principle of Deepfake technology can be compared with human behavior.

Are we really unable to distinguish between the real and fake videos circulating online? In the hands of professionals, through meticulous computer analysis, it is possible to distinguish the authenticity of photos and videos, and to expose the content processed by Deepfake technology. However, when ordinary people face AI fraud, it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of videos with the naked eye. What is more important here is that we still need to be more vigilant and patient, and understand the scam routines.

Four new AI scams

New types of fraud are more deceptive after incorporating AI technology, mainly including the following:

1. Sound Synthesis

Scammers extract someone's voice through recordings of harassing phone calls, etc., and then synthesize the sound after obtaining the material, so that they can deceive the other party with a fake voice.

2. AI face-changing

The human face effect makes it easier to gain the other party's trust. Scammers use AI technology to change faces and can disguise themselves as anyone, and then confirm the information through video. It is really hard to guard against!

The scammers first analyze various types of information posted by the public online, and then use AI technology to screen the target population according to the scam they want to implement. They use AI to change faces during video calls to gain trust.

3. Forward WeChat voice

WeChat voice messages can actually be forwarded, what a trick! After stealing WeChat accounts, scammers "borrow money" from their friends. To gain the other party's trust, they will forward previous voice messages and then defraud money.

Although WeChat does not have a voice forwarding function, they implement voice forwarding by extracting voice files or installing unofficial versions (plug-ins).

4. Screening out the deceived people through AI technology

Scammers don’t just cast a wide net aimlessly, but instead target specific people with ulterior motives. They screen people based on the scam they want to carry out and then select their target.

The scam is divided into three steps

Telecom fraud methods are always based on the same principles, and the main steps are still the same.

1. Read minds and understand customer needs. Steal personal information or even private information, and use greed, fear, and concern for relatives and friends to increase trust and increase confusion.

2. Transfiguration, packaging yourself. The most rampant "transfiguration" is to send fraudulent text messages through fake base stations, disguised as official numbers of banks, operators, airlines, etc., such as 95588, 10086, etc. Another "transfiguration" is to falsely change the number. Changing the number to disguise as 10086/95588 or even 110 and other sensitive numbers, directly carrying out telephone fraud, is extremely dangerous. The correct way is to call the official customer service girl to send a cordial greeting - to ask about the real situation.

3. Make up a story and create a product. Although the third step is the core of the scam, it is often old and the substance remains the same in a new bottle. It mainly cooperates with the disguise of the first two steps to confuse the public.

The simplest way to prevent telecommunications fraud

The tricks of the scammers are dizzying, but since it is a scam, there must be loopholes. In short, you have to use the stingy mentality. "You can give feelings to the scammers, but never money, not a penny, nothing!" Set an alarm in your mind, and you will never get money. Don't click on the link or scan the code, and never give the verification code.

When faced with new fraud methods such as AI, we must keep the following points in mind:

1. Stay calm. The longer you wait, the more anxious the scammer will become.

There is only one purpose behind all the scammers' designs - to make you pay. The more purposeful a thing is, the less patient people are, and the longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it is for the scammers. In such a contest, the more patient people are, the more they can control the rhythm and take the initiative. The countless jokes on the Internet that tease scammers and ultimately make the other party laugh and cry all illustrate one problem: whoever is impatient will be passive.

2. Protecting Personal Information and Privacy

Properly dispose of documents such as express delivery slips. Express delivery slips contain names, phone numbers, and addresses. Train and air tickets are printed with the purchaser's name and ID number. Shopping receipts also contain partial names, bank card numbers, spending records, and other information. Carelessly throwing away these documents may lead to personal information leakage.

In addition, banks, China Mobile or China Unicom business halls, various exam registrations, and many other places require you to keep a copy of your ID card. When providing a copy of your ID card, you must indicate "This copy is for XX to use for XX purposes only, and is invalid for other purposes" and the date in the area containing the identity information.

3. Don’t try to save a little and end up losing a lot

As the saying goes, a gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. Getting rich overnight is mostly just a joke or story passed down by word of mouth. When the desire for a small bargain meets the "good luck comes to the door" scam, people will naturally be deceived.

If you are really unsure, you can use a search engine to search, or you can call the relevant government department or agency in person for consultation. For elderly people who are not familiar with the Internet, you can ask their children to search online. Do not call the phone number left by the scammers.

Comprehensive sources: Science Popularization China, Guangming Online