Three signs you’re chatting with an AI scammer bot and not a real human – failing the ‘time trick’ is a dead giveaway

PHONE owners should look out for three signs they're messaging an AI chatbot – not a real person.

Scammers can easily use automated artificial intelligence chatbots to hoodwink you.

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They can be used for all manner of cons, including romance scams and phishing.

Chatbots can be set up to deliver almost any kind of scam, and message you just like a real person would.

This allows criminals to automate their scams, allowing them to target more people faster.

And due to advances in AI, chatbots are now extremely convincing.

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"It's getting increasingly difficult to distinguish between real people and AI chatbots," said cybersecurity expert Paul Bischoff, speaking to The U.S. Sun.

"This is especially true when it comes to customer service-related conversations in which human representatives are often limited to pre-made canned responses," added Paul, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Comparitech.

KILLER CLUES

It's getting increasingly difficult to detect chatbots due to how sophisticated they've become.

But there are three signs that you should watch out for – and the third is a time-based clue that's a dead giveaway.

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"Look out for repetitive responses that seem to lack humor and empathy," Paul told us.

"Bots usually have impeccable spelling and grammar but clunky, wooden phrasing.

"Consistently fast response times are another sign."

If the messages are coming thick and fast, and packed with detail without the sender seemingly having enough time to think and respond, there's a good chance you're talking to a chatbot.

Be wary if you spot any of these signs while sending messages on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok – or on chat apps like WhatsApp or Apple's iMessage.

AI-wielding scammers can strike on almost any platform.

Phone scam statistics

Americans are bombarded with three billion spam phone calls a month. What are the figures regarding the number of victims and the amount of money lost to fraudsters

• In 2022, Americans lost some $39.5 billion to phone scams, with 68.4 million US citizens affected, according to TechReport.
• The average phone scam victim lost $567.41 each in 2021, a major rise on the 2021 figure of $182 per victim, according to Hiya.
• The majority of scams happen over the phone, with fraudsters twice as likely to call compared to text in 2021, as reports the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• In 2021, the US saw a 56% increase in spam phone calls with 60% of those being robocalls.
• US residents experienced an average of 18 spam phone calls per month, although some experts believe the true figure may be as high as 31 per month.
• Many phone calls from reputable businesses may be marked wrongly as spam, but 38% of companies have no idea whether they’re being marked as “potential fraud” or not, according to Hiya.
• Never hand over any personal or financial information if you suspect a phone call is a scam. For instance, your bank will never ask you for such details in full over the phone. 
• To cut down on spam phone calls and scams, sign up for the Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketers, by law, will need to check that list before they call you up.
• Downloading third-party apps such as Hiya, Nomorobo, or Truecaller can help filter out annoying spam calls.
• Try not to share your phone number unless you have to, especially online or with sketchy sources.

ON CALL

Of course messaging apps aren't the only way that AI might be used against you.

The U.S. Sun has spoken to multiple cybersecurity experts about the ways to expose AI "voice clones" on phone calls.

Criminals can use AI to capture and replicate someone's voice in a matter of seconds.

Bots usually have impeccable spelling and grammar but clunky, wooden phrasing

Paul BischoffCybersecurity expert at Comparitech

And this could be used against you, with crooks pretending to be loved ones or colleagues and making urgent demand for money.

One way to avoid being caught out by this scam is to set up a "safe word" ahead of time.

Do this with people close to you, and then you can use it if you're in a situation where someone is asking for money on the phone.

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Also, make sure to ask for shared personal memories that the person would know – but that is something a criminal couldn't have found by looking online.

And be especially wary if the person is asking for money via a strange method like cryptocurrency or gift cards.