AI scams are growing in Latin America — here's how to protect yourself

Scams aren't new, but artificial intelligence is making them much harder to detect. In recent months, reports of AI-powered fraud have increased significantly in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil.

The most common types of AI scams:

1. Fake celebrity videos. Videos circulate where celebrities or business leaders "recommend" investments or miracle products. The video looks real, the voice sounds authentic, but everything was generated by AI. This type of content has been used for fake cryptocurrency investment scams.

2. Cloned family members' voices. You receive a call that sounds exactly like your child, your mother, or your partner, asking for urgent money. "I was robbed, I'm at a police station, I need you to transfer money now." The voice is an AI-created imitation from public audio.

3. Hyper-personalized emails and messages. These are no longer the poorly written "you won a million dollars" emails. Now AI can create messages that appear to come from your bank, your company, or your supplier, with your name, real data, and perfect language.

4. Fake profiles on social media and dating apps. AI generates photos of people who don't exist and maintains convincing conversations for weeks before asking for money or personal information.

Practical guide to protect yourself:

• Family code word: Agree with your family on a secret word you can ask for over the phone to verify identity
• Verify through another channel: If you receive an urgent message from someone, call them directly through another means before acting
• Be suspicious of urgency: Scams always rush. "Do it now," "today only," "it's urgent" are red flags
• Check the source: Before clicking a link, verify that the website is official (with www. and the correct domain)
• Don't share data over the phone: Your bank will never ask for your password or security code by phone or message