Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been amazing in assisting people to work faster and master. But although great for business, scammers have also been using it to advance their activities and to steal money from people. The South African Banking Risk Information Centre has issued a stern warning for people to be vigilant as criminals are using AI to trick victims into parting with their life savings.

WARNING

The warning states that criminals are cloning voices and impersonating bank staff and officials to scam victims using deep-fake audio, creating fake websites and pages resembling those of real banks, and generating fake WhatsApp investment messages and offers. "They have become increasingly smart and build fake social media accounts and pages,' says IT specialist Thapelo Mokoena. "These days, the scams are starting to look even more real, and they create counterfeit IDs.'

HOW TO BE SAFE

• Be careful with audio and unclear video that could be distorted.

• Be wary of unsafe links, as they have advanced from just phishing.

• Although it may almost be impossible, keeping personal photos and voice recordings private on social media can save the day.

• Double-check contact details, as websites and numbers may be similar to the real numbers.

• Protect your personal information and do not share sensitive information with strangers.