• Source:IANS
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As Valentine's Day approaches, cybersecurity experts warned that love scams are on the rise in India, where 66% of people have been victims of online dating fraud. According to data from 2023, 83% of Indians who fell victim to AI voice fraud lost money. Of those, 43% were Indian.

According to a recent analysis by exposure management company Tenable, romantic scams have experienced a frightening metamorphosis in the last few years, fusing sophisticated technologies like deepfakes and generative AI with more conventional approaches.

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"AI-generated deepfakes have become sophisticated enough that more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Indians say they cannot differentiate between AI and a person's real voice," the results indicated. These days, con artists use deepfake and generative AI to build more realistic personas in their romantic schemes.

"I fervently urge increased caution when forced to leave public forums and engage in private discussions, when the safeguards of the original website are lost. The word of caution applies whether generative AI or deepfakes are involved," according to Tenable staff research engineer Chris Boyd.

Celebrity impersonations have grown in popularity, especially when they target older audiences. The research stated that these scams frequently start on social media sites like Facebook and deceive their victims into thinking they are safe.

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"A troubling trend emerging is one where scammers routinely target older individuals, especially those who are widowed or suffer from memory loss," said the report. Researchers say that financial requests from recently made relationships should raise red flags right away. They recommended closely examining images and movies that purposefully obfuscate background information in order to impede online verification.

"Awareness and vigilance are our best defences against these heartless manipulations, ensuring that love seekers don't fall victim to the tangled web of AI-enhanced deception," stated Boyd.