Smishing attempts are reportedly increasing due to new technologies that enable coordinated bulk attacks. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre notes a rise in these SMS-based phishing scams, exploiting AI to craft convincing messages and identify targets from data breaches. AI can scan data leaks for personal details and generate realistic text messages, making it harder to spot fraudulent attempts.
These scams often impersonate legitimate organisations, urging immediate action for alleged issues like undeliverable packages or suspended accounts. Unlike traditional scams with obvious errors, AI-driven smishing uses sophisticated language, increasing its effectiveness. The FBI has also issued warnings about scammers impersonating senior U.S. officials through AI-generated voice messages and text messages.
To combat smishing, experts advise deleting suspicious messages, blocking the sender's number, and avoiding interaction, even if prompted to reply with “STOP” or “NO”. While reported incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre have decreased, these figures may not reflect the true scale of the problem due to underreporting.
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