We have entered an era where you can no longer “believe your eyes or ears.” Cybercriminals now use Generative AI to craft perfect phishing emails that mimic the specific writing style of your colleagues or create Deepfake audio to impersonate family members in distress.
This is known as Social Engineering, and it preys on human emotion—specifically urgency and fear.
How to Stay Grounded:
- The “Pause” Rule: If you receive a message demanding immediate financial action or sensitive data, stop. Scammers rely on bypasses to your logical thinking.
- Out-of-Band Verification: If your “bank” calls you, hang up and call the official number on the back of your card. If your “boss” Slacks you a weird request, call them on their known phone number to verify.
- Family Safety Words: Establish a unique phrase with your family that must be used during any “emergency” call to verify identity.