Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults from AI-Enhanced Scams

TL;DR

This paper examines how AI is being used to enhance scams targeting older adults, analyzes vulnerabilities in current scams, and proposes new protective measures to improve defenses against AI-driven deception.

Contribution

It introduces innovative approaches for protecting older adults from AI-enhanced scams and suggests establishing reliable support networks to counteract emerging threats.

Findings

AI is increasingly used to improve scam effectiveness and detectability.

Current scams like tech support and romance scams are vulnerable to AI enhancement.

Proposed defensive measures include support networks to bolster scam resistance.

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining popularity as individuals, groups, and organizations discover and apply its expanding capabilities. Generative AI creates or alters various content types including text, image, audio, and video that are realistic and challenging to identify as AI-generated constructs. However, guardrails preventing malicious use of AI are easily bypassed. Numerous indications suggest that scammers are already using AI to enhance already successful scams, improving scam effectiveness, speed and credibility, while reducing detectability of scams that target older adults, who are known to be slow to adopt new technologies. Through hypothetical cases analysis of two leading scams, the tech support scams and the romance scams, this paper explores the future of AI in scams affecting older adults by identifying current vulnerabilities and recommending updated defensive measures focusing the establishment of a reliable support network offering elevated support to increase confidence and ability to defend against AI-enhanced scams.