As part of Money Smart Week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing her Artificial Intelligence and Scams alert to warn residents about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) by fraudsters to take advantage of consumers. AI is being misused to create realistic deepfake audio and video scams.
Scammers can clone a person’s voice using audio data collected from public social media posts or videos. They can then call victims, spoofing the phone number of a loved one to impersonate them in distress and make urgent demands for money.
“AI scams are incredibly sophisticated,” said Attorney General Nessel. “They can trick any of us into handing money over to bad actors. If you receive a call from a loved one and something feels off, trust your instinct. Always verify the situation using a known, trusted number.”
To guard against such scams, Nessel recommends the following:
• Establish a family verification phrase: Use a code word or phrase that only your family knows to confirm identity during suspicious calls.
• Do not trust caller ID: Scammers can spoof phone numbers to make calls appear legitimate.
• Verify the situation: If something feels off, hang up and call the person back using a known number.
• Beware of unusual payment requests: Scammers often demand payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or money transfers—methods that are hard to trace or reverse.
Nessel’s alert also notes that scams often share common warning signs, including high-pressure tactics to act immediately, use of fear or enticing offers, or demands for sensitive information or unusual payment methods. If you’ve fallen victim to a scam:
• Notify local law enforcement.
• File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357.
• Report fraudulent charges to your bank, credit card company, or payment app immediately.
• Contact the issuer of any gift card or money transfer service used.
Money Smart Week promotes financial literacy and is observed until April 21. To help residents avoid falling victim to scams, Nessel will be reissuing alerts throughout Money Smart Week on the Department of Attorney General’s dedicated consumer protection social media account, Michigan Consumer Protection (@MIConsumerWatch). Residents can follow @MIConsumerWatch on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
For those who believe they have been the victim of a scam or would like to file a consumer complaint, contact the attorney general's Consumer Protection Team at:
Consumer Protection Team
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form at https://secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx
Scammers can clone a person’s voice using audio data collected from public social media posts or videos. They can then call victims, spoofing the phone number of a loved one to impersonate them in distress and make urgent demands for money.
“AI scams are incredibly sophisticated,” said Attorney General Nessel. “They can trick any of us into handing money over to bad actors. If you receive a call from a loved one and something feels off, trust your instinct. Always verify the situation using a known, trusted number.”
To guard against such scams, Nessel recommends the following:
• Establish a family verification phrase: Use a code word or phrase that only your family knows to confirm identity during suspicious calls.
• Do not trust caller ID: Scammers can spoof phone numbers to make calls appear legitimate.
• Verify the situation: If something feels off, hang up and call the person back using a known number.
• Beware of unusual payment requests: Scammers often demand payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or money transfers—methods that are hard to trace or reverse.
Nessel’s alert also notes that scams often share common warning signs, including high-pressure tactics to act immediately, use of fear or enticing offers, or demands for sensitive information or unusual payment methods. If you’ve fallen victim to a scam:
• Notify local law enforcement.
• File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357.
• Report fraudulent charges to your bank, credit card company, or payment app immediately.
• Contact the issuer of any gift card or money transfer service used.
Money Smart Week promotes financial literacy and is observed until April 21. To help residents avoid falling victim to scams, Nessel will be reissuing alerts throughout Money Smart Week on the Department of Attorney General’s dedicated consumer protection social media account, Michigan Consumer Protection (@MIConsumerWatch). Residents can follow @MIConsumerWatch on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
For those who believe they have been the victim of a scam or would like to file a consumer complaint, contact the attorney general's Consumer Protection Team at:
Consumer Protection Team
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form at https://secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx
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