ITRC Warns to Watch for AI Phishing Scams

Published: August 20, 2025 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is sounding the alarm in its June 2025 report: AI is not only ours, but also the scammer’s best friend. As artificial intelligence tools become more powerful, accurate, and accessible, identity thieves are leveraging it as often as we are. But while we might be using it to find out what fruit has a poisonous pit or create the perfect Caribbean vacation itinerary, they are using the same tools to create highly convincing, personalized scams—and it’s working.

Gone are the days of clumsy phishing emails filled with typos and broken links. Today’s fraudsters are using AI to mimic official logos, copy writing styles, and even generate deepfake voices or video messages that appear to come from real companies—or worse, your friends and family. Have you received a desperate call from a niece or nephew pleading for financial help when in another country? Many of us have and now, those are accentuated by AI. These tactics blur the line between real and fake, making it easier than ever to trick victims into handing over sensitive data like passwords, Social Security numbers, and financial details.

So, it’s always a good idea to remember to be on the lookout for phishing. While these tools can make extremely realistic scams, there are a couple of dead giveaways that something may be a phishing lure:

• A sense of urgency that you might miss out on a deal, something bad may happen, or any message that gives you a sense of anxiety.

• You receive texts, emails, or phone calls from unsolicited parties that include links, attachments, or instructions to provide information that you are not expecting or if they want personally identifying information (PII) or details that make you feel uncomfortable.

The ITRC notes that while reports of identity crimes appear to be down overall, the scams themselves are becoming more targeted, professional, and damaging. Impersonation scams are just the beginning. Criminals are feeding stolen data into AI systems to customize attacks with shocking detail, making them harder to detect and even harder to ignore.

This shift highlights the need for constant vigilance. As AI grows smarter, so must consumers. That means being cautious of unsolicited messages, verifying identities independently, and staying updated on common scam tactics. The ITRC warns that identity protection now requires more than a strong password—it demands a healthy dose of skepticism, acute awareness, and tech-savvy thinking.

AI has definitely changed the cybersecurity game. The question isn’t if someone will try to trick you—but when, and how ready you’ll be.

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