Identity theft with AI is one of the negative developments that this relatively new technology has brought about. Artificial intelligence opens up new opportunities for cyber criminals. But you can protect yourself against it if you know what you’re up against.
What is identity theft with the help of artificial intelligence?
Identity theft is a form of crime in which other people’s data is deliberately used for mostly illegal activities. For example, cyber criminals can use stolen identities to conduct illegal business on the internet, but also to create accounts with online stores in order to make purchases with this data.
With the help of AI, this can be done more easily than before. For example, an AI can create digital forgeries of ID cards and passports. In times when almost everything is digitized, you no longer necessarily have to lose your ID for it to be forged. There are already templates on the internet that criminals can use as the basis for their forgeries. AI does the rest. Digital forgeries are estimated to account for over 57 percent of all document fraud. Identity theft is therefore shifting further and further into the digital space.
Artificial intelligence is making so-called deepfakes increasingly realistic. These are imitations of real people in appearance and voice. Criminals mainly use deepfakes to trick video ID procedures. For example, it is possible to create new identities and use them to open bank accounts. However, deepfakes can now even be used to deceive friends and family members. This is, of course, a perfect opportunity for fraudsters to ask for money or even fake kidnappings in order to extort large sums of money.
AI also reads the login behavior of users and in this way helps hackers to more easily circumvent security precautions.
How to protect yourself and your company from identity theft
In addition to the familiar security tips, such as the latest security updates and multi-factor authentication, there are certain measures you can take to protect yourself and your company from identity theft. It is important that everyone in the company adheres to these measures.
- All company accounts should restrict privacy settings. You should not disclose too much information on social media. The more information available, the easier it is for an AI to use this information to create a new identity.
- Keep an eye on all accounts and check them regularly for unusual activity. Accounts on which something seems strange should be blocked immediately.
- Only give access to accounts to the necessary people. Less access limits the opportunities for data theft.
- Above all, of course, you should never pass on data to dubious sources.
- Train yourself and your employees regularly on digital security and fraud methods with AI
Indications of identity theft include requests for payment for orders that have not been placed or unsuccessful login attempts even though the password is correct.
Of course, this is not always the case. So you should be sure before you report it and raise the alarm.
