BBB: Better Business Bureau warns of raising AI scams

ROANOKE, Va. ( WFXR ) - The Better Business Bureau ( BBB ) serving western Virginia, says the rise of artificial intelligence tools is changing how scammers can steal or trick you out of personal information. An investigation conducted by the BBB's International Investigations Initiative has found over 16,000 identity and information scams since 2021. Their report also cited the Federal Trade Commission, which reported over 4 million incidents of identity or information theft within the same time frame. Julie Wheeler, the CEO of the BBB serving western Virginia, says these scams range from phony text messages claiming you owe a toll to scammers claiming to be with a utility company offering discounts. Last year, scam victims lost about $484 on average. Wheeler wants to stress while scam victims may think they may have only lost money-their private information is likely also at risk. She says with criminals using sophisticated AI tools, the digital landscape is more dangerous, and you need to be proactive in protecting yourself. Better Business Bureau warns of raising AI scams "The terrifying part is with AI, it's so much easier for these things to appear legitimate. And we're seeing more and more times where it's used to have personal information about you that they can then gain the confidence, where you provide more personal information," said Wheeler, "the dark web, that's where all this information is put to be sold, and unfortunately, I would pretty well bet that just about every single one of us has our Social Security number and other personal information on a dark web site." Some of the best ways to know the difference in the scams, especially with the rise of AI, is looking for misspelled URLs, websites with low-quality design, images that may seem flat or unreal, and suspicious links from texts, emails, or messages on social media. "It's all about being vigilant, but we can't don't assume things are legitimate. And that's a sad state, but it's unfortunately the world that we're in. But if we take these steps to protect ourselves, we can avoid being a victim and losing money," said Wheeler. So what can you do now to protect yourself? The BBB suggests regularly monitoring your credit reports for unknown accounts. Use multi-factor authentication whenever you can. Don't use the same password across multiple accounts. Secure your WIFI, and think about using a virtual private network. You can visit the BBB's website here to report or learn more about these scams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.