Nearly half of Americans likely to fall for AI scams

Almost half (48%) of Americans believe that the rise of AI has made them less “scam-savvy” than ever before, according to new research.

With AI working its way into education, communication and even science, it’s clear that innovating technology in the 21st Century has both pros and cons. A survey of 2,000 U.S. adults revealed that only 18% feel “very confident” in their ability to identify a scam before falling victim to it.

As the United States enters a new era of tech, AI is continuing to blur the line between reality and an artificial world. One in three even admit that it would be difficult for them to identify a potential scam if the scammer was trying to impersonate someone they personally know.

Between creating fake news (68%), robo-callers with realistic voices (67%) and sending texts from familiar phone numbers (62%), the possibility and probability of falling victim to a scam may cause anxiety for many Americans.

This may be because over the years, 34% of respondents have fallen victim to a scam in one way or another. For 22% of those respondents, that incident was more than five years ago, before the recent surge of artificial intelligence.

But for others, the sting is still fresh. According to the results, 40% have been impacted within the last year — with 8% indicating it was as recent as last month.

The most common types of scams to plague those victims include fake sales or listings (29%), financial operations (29%) and email phishing (28%).

With such a wide variety of fraudulent activity, it’s no surprise that Americans are hoping to crack down in certain sectors. When asked what area they believe needs the most protection against scams, respondents overwhelmingly selected financial operations (49%), followed by emails (15%) and online sales (14%).

The survey, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by BOSS Revolution, also aimed to get a pulse check on U.S. adult’s feelings about artificial intelligence and revealed that it’s not all doom and gloom.

Almost four in 10 participants (38%) have a positive view of AI and many of those respondents are reaping the benefits. Though their integration may not be as advanced as those in the legal or medical fields, many already use AI to answer common questions (64%), to handle tasks that they themselves don’t want to do (43%) and even to translate languages (42%).

Of the 31% who tend to have a more negative view of AI, privacy and data concerns (67%), a fear of it becoming uncontrollable (65%) and fraud concerns (61%) keep them in their Terminator-wary mindset.

Still, another 38% of all respondents admit they’re likely to use AI for everyday tasks, such as translating languages (48%), writing texts or emails (48%) or choosing recipes to cook (41%).

And whether planned or not, 21% believe that they interact with artificial intelligence every single day, with another 31% doing so several times each week.

Still, with rampant scams and deception galore, 80% of respondents believe that AI usage should be more strictly regulated.

“As AI technology advances, so do the tactics of scammers who exploit it. It’s crucial for consumers to stay vigilant,” said Executive VP of Marketing at BOSS Revolution Jessica Poverene. “ We advise users to verify the identity of all parties involved in transactions, refrain from rushing transactions under pressure and consistently verify the contact information provided by the requester. In cases of uncertainty, we also advise users to call the requester using a trusted number to confirm their identity.“

Money talks — it's a common necessary thread through every household and is often a source of stress. More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) believe that artificial intelligence has had a seriously large impact on financial scams.

Taking that a step further, only 25% believe that artificial intelligence has the ability to have a positive impact on their financial safety.

And their concerns may be valid, as the average respondent sends money to other people or uses a money remittance service about two times each month, exposing themselves even more to potential scams and fraud.

They do so because it’s convenient (50%), it's easy (32%) or because the person they need to pay lives far away (16%). Only 14% of respondents indicated that they use this service because it’s safer.

“Protecting users from scams is a top priority for any modern company that values the well-being of its users, especially in the evolving landscape of AI-driven fraud,” said Executive VP of Marketing at BOSS Revolution Jessica Poverene. “It’s important to employ advanced algorithms and strict verification processes such as AI anomaly detection, real-time monitoring and multi-layered authentication to detect and prevent fraudulent activities to ensure that transactions remain secure.”

HOW DO PEOPLE IN THE U.S. REGULARLY INTERACT WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

• Through a company’s chat/messaging service - 44%
• Social media - 37%
• Over the phone - 31%
• Text message - 31%
• Email - 26%
• Through a home assistant speaker - 25%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by BOSS Revolution between June 5 and June 10, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).