Bank Accounts Drained: Beware Three New Scam Tactics Targeting Many Victims
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Online scams are proliferating due to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Not only does AI facilitate cybercrime campaigns, but it also makes scam tactics more sophisticated and harder to detect.
Affordable AI tools provide widespread access to manipulating images and sounds, and creating websites that appear completely legitimate.
AI-powered scams often masquerade as ‘official’ video ads on social media platforms like TikTok. A New York Times journalist reported seeing an Hoka shoe ad offering an 80% discount on TikTok.
After clicking the ad, he was directed to a site that appeared genuine and official. However, suspicion arose when he added the desired shoes to his shopping cart.
He then checked online forums like Reddit and found victims trapped on the site. Hoka has also issued a warning about fake sites impersonating the brand.
This spoofing of legitimate sites is one of several increasingly sophisticated online scam tactics in the AI era. The FBI reported last month that cybercriminals defrauded US citizens of nearly $21 billion (£16.7bn) last year, with around $893 million (£710m) in AI-related losses.
AI essentially enables online criminals to develop convincing fake sites. Therefore, the public must rethink their approach to avoid falling victim and incurring losses.
“Instead of looking for signs of what is bad, you need to verify whether it is good,” said Mark Beare, general manager of cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, quoted by the New York Times on Friday, 29 May 2026.
Rampant scam ads have led to increased legal complaints against social media giant Meta. Last month, the US Consumer Federation, a non-profit advocacy group, filed a complaint accusing Meta of misleading users about its efforts to combat scams.
The complaint cited examples such as scam ads for baby gear and free phones. Santa Clara County in California filed a similar lawsuit against Meta this month.
In response, Meta stated it removed 159 million scam ads and blocked nearly 11 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram linked to online scammers last year. Meta also boasted of increased investment in new technology to eradicate scams.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company prohibits fraudulent practices and misleading content in ads, and that attempts to deceive users are not permitted on the platform.
TikTok added that in the fourth quarter of 2025, 97% of rule-breaking spam content was removed before users reported it.
Beyond fake online stores, scammers use AI to impersonate others to trap victims, such as posing as family members. Here are the most common scam tactics in the AI era:
Video Call Scams
Chat and phone call scams have long been widespread. The public is becoming more adept at detecting them. If a suspicious message requesting money comes from someone long out of touch, family, or friends, people can now easily spot the scam.
However, thanks to AI, scammers can now use video calls. They use AI to alter faces to resemble loved ones or acquaintances, then engage in conversation before requesting money transfers.
“It’s very easy and cheap to conduct real-time Zoom calls with full body replacement and voice changes that are entirely realistic,” said Andrew Yoon, a researcher at CivAI, a non-profit organisation teaching people about AI capabilities.
Fake Celebrities
Since the emergence of instant video creation apps like OpenAI’s Sora, social media has been flooded with AI-generated fake content. Fake videos featuring Hollywood celebrities and prominent business executives are widespread, as abundant images and videos online help AI models produce near-perfect imitations.
Some scammers have attempted to exploit celebrities’ status to market non-existent products.
Deepfake videos of chef Gordon Ramsay have circulated on social media in recent years to promote free cooking equipment. Victims, thinking they were paying a small shipping fee for a free frying pan, instead handed over their credit card details to criminals.
Fake Official Stores
Ads directing users to AI-generated scam sites, such as the shoe store that nearly duped a New York Times journalist, are rampant on social media. These ads may directly target the victim’s personal interests.
Scammers pay for ad space on TikTok and Instagram to use the same targeting tools as legitimate marketers, targeting people with relevant interests, said Beare of Malwarebytes.
Criminals can afford to spend on ad targeting since, unlike genuine brands, they have no products to ship.
There are ways to quickly determine if a brand-impostor online store is fake. A simple method is to Google the website address and check online forums for discussions. Victims often share their experiences.
The most effective way to avoid online scams is simple: never trust ads that are ‘too good to be true’, or sudden video calls asking