Artificial intelligence is changing how online scams are created, delivered, and personalized in 2026. Jason Norbeck examines how criminals are using generative AI, synthetic media, automation, and social engineering to make fraudulent communications more convincing while reaching potential victims at greater scale.
The development of accessible AI tools has lowered some of the technical barriers associated with creating convincing fraudulent content. Criminals can use AI to generate messages, construct fake profiles, create images, imitate voices, produce videos, and develop content designed to establish credibility. Jason Norbeck emphasizes that the technology itself is not inherently fraudulent, but its misuse can make familiar scams more difficult for consumers to recognize.
The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, released in April 2026, recorded 22,364 complaints involving artificial intelligence and adjusted losses exceeding $893 million. The FBI also reported that cyber-enabled crimes overall generated nearly $21 billion in reported losses in 2025. These figures illustrate why Jason Norbeck believes AI-enabled fraud deserves greater attention as part of broader consumer cybersecurity education.
AI Makes Fraudulent Messages More Convincing
One of the most direct ways artificial intelligence is changing online scams is through the creation of more polished communications. Jason Norbeck explains that traditional warning signs such as poor grammar, awkward wording, or obvious spelling mistakes may become less reliable when criminals use generative AI to produce their messages.
The FBI has reported that criminals can use AI-generated text to create social-engineering messages, spear-phishing communications, romance scams, investment schemes, and other fraudulent content. AI can also help criminals create large quantities of personalized messages and overcome language barriers.
Jason Norbeck notes that this development does not mean every professionally written email or text is fraudulent. Instead, consumers should place greater emphasis on the request itself. A polished message asking for money, passwords, security codes, account information, or an urgent transfer still deserves independent verification.
AI Can Scale Social Engineering
Social engineering depends heavily on human psychology. Criminals may create a sense of urgency, impersonate trusted organizations, promise financial opportunities, or exploit emotional relationships. Jason Norbeck explains that artificial intelligence can make these techniques easier to reproduce and personalize.
Instead of manually preparing individual messages, criminals can use AI-assisted tools to generate variations targeted at different people. A scammer can potentially adjust language, tone, cultural references, and other details to make an interaction appear more relevant to a particular recipient.
Jason Norbeck emphasizes that personalization can create a false sense of familiarity. A message that mentions an employer, family member, financial institution, recent purchase, or other recognizable detail may appear more credible even when the underlying request is fraudulent.
This is why consumers should evaluate the legitimacy of the communication independently rather than assuming that a message is authentic because it contains accurate personal information. Criminals can obtain personal information from public sources, compromised accounts, previous scams, data breaches, and social media.
Voice Cloning Is Changing Impersonation Scams
Voice cloning represents another significant development. Jason Norbeck explains that criminals can use AI-generated audio to imitate the voice of a family member, business executive, public official, or other trusted individual.
The FBI has warned that criminals can use cloned voices in distress scams, business email compromise schemes, and other fraud attempts. In 2025, victims reported more than $5 million in losses to distress scams involving a likely AI nexus, according to the FBI’s annual report.
Jason Norbeck recommends that consumers establish independent verification procedures for unusual financial requests. If someone who appears to be a family member urgently requests money, consumers can contact that person through a previously known phone number or another established communication channel.
The important principle is that a familiar voice should no longer be treated as conclusive proof of identity. Jason Norbeck notes that criminals can potentially reproduce voices from relatively short audio samples, making traditional assumptions about voice recognition less reliable.
AI-Generated Images and Videos Can Create False Credibility
Artificial intelligence can also generate realistic images and videos that appear to show real people. Jason Norbeck explains that this capability can support fake social-media profiles, fraudulent advertisements, investment schemes, impersonation attempts, and other forms of deception.
The FBI has reported that criminals use AI-generated images to create fictitious profiles, fraudulent identification documents, and images intended to convince victims that they are communicating with a legitimate person. AI-generated videos can also depict public figures, executives, law-enforcement personnel, or other individuals appearing to endorse fraudulent offers.
Jason Norbeck emphasizes that visual evidence should therefore be evaluated alongside other evidence. A photograph, video call, profile picture, or apparently official promotional video does not independently establish that the person or organization behind it is legitimate.
Consumers should verify identities through trusted channels and avoid making financial decisions based solely on digital content. This is particularly important when an interaction involves cryptocurrency, investment opportunities, account recovery, or an urgent request for payment.
AI Can Strengthen Fake Investment Opportunities
Investment fraud has become another area where artificial intelligence can amplify established criminal techniques. Jason Norbeck explains that scammers can combine AI-generated profiles, conversations, images, websites, and financial claims to construct an apparently legitimate investment environment.
A fraudulent investment operation may begin with social-media contact or an unsolicited message. The criminal may gradually establish a relationship with the target before introducing an investment opportunity. AI can help maintain conversations, generate persuasive explanations, and create supporting content.
The FBI reported that investment fraud remained the largest driver of reported scam losses in 2025, accounting for nearly 49% of all reported scam-related losses. Jason Norbeck emphasizes that consumers should independently verify investment platforms, companies, professionals, and financial claims before transferring money.
Promises of guaranteed returns, pressure to act immediately, requests to pay additional fees before withdrawing funds, and instructions to transfer cryptocurrency should receive particular scrutiny. Technology can make a fraudulent investment presentation appear sophisticated without making the underlying opportunity legitimate.
Fake Government and Law-Enforcement Content Is Becoming More Convincing
Another emerging concern involves criminals using AI-generated content to impersonate government agencies and law-enforcement officials. Jason Norbeck notes that this can be especially effective because victims may assume that official-looking communications are trustworthy.
In July 2026, the FBI warned about scammers impersonating the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The scheme included AI-generated videos depicting FBI personnel, spoofed websites, and attempts to collect personal and financial information from people who had already experienced fraud.
Jason Norbeck emphasizes that previous scam victims can become targets again through so-called recovery scams. Criminals may claim they can recover lost money, assist with an investigation, or represent a government agency. Consumers should independently navigate to official government websites rather than relying on links supplied through unexpected communications.
The FBI specifically advises consumers to type the official IC3 website address directly into their browser and warns that IC3 does not communicate with individuals through social media or request payment to recover lost funds.
Consumers Need Stronger Verification Habits
Artificial intelligence may make scams more sophisticated, but Jason Norbeck explains that effective consumer protection still begins with basic verification. People should pause before responding to unexpected financial requests, avoid clicking suspicious links, and verify important communications through independently obtained contact information.
The FBI encourages consumers to “take a beat” when confronted with potential fraud rather than allowing urgency or emotional pressure to dictate a decision. Jason Norbeck believes this principle becomes even more important when AI-generated content makes fraudulent communications appear more authentic.
Verification can include contacting a person directly through a known phone number, visiting an organization’s official website independently, checking account activity, confirming investment information through authoritative sources, or speaking with a trusted person before transferring money.
Jason Norbeck also recommends treating unusual changes in communication patterns as potential warning signs. A familiar person suddenly requesting cryptocurrency, an executive demanding an urgent wire transfer, or a financial institution asking for sensitive information through an unexpected link should prompt additional verification.
AI Changes the Technology, Not the Basic Warning Signs
Although AI is changing online scams, Jason Norbeck explains that many underlying fraud techniques remain familiar. Criminals still depend on urgency, fear, authority, financial incentives, emotional manipulation, and misplaced trust.
The technology may change how a scam is delivered, but the objective remains to persuade a person to take an action that benefits the criminal. Jason Norbeck emphasizes that consumers should therefore focus not only on whether content looks or sounds authentic but also on what the sender is asking them to do.
A request to transfer money, disclose authentication codes, provide account credentials, install software, or click an unfamiliar link should be evaluated independently regardless of how convincing the communication appears.
The FBI similarly warns that synthetic content can be difficult to identify and advises people to verify surprising communications through reputable sources and known official channels.
Building Better Digital Habits in the AI Era
Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, and Jason Norbeck expects criminals to continue adapting their tactics as new tools become accessible. Consumers therefore cannot rely on a fixed checklist of visual errors or obvious grammatical mistakes to identify every scam.
Instead, Jason Norbeck emphasizes a broader approach based on skepticism, independent verification, account security, and careful decision-making. Strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, updated software, financial monitoring, and cautious handling of personal information remain important components of digital security.
Consumers should also understand that no single technology can eliminate fraud. AI detection tools can be useful, but they should complement rather than replace careful judgment. Jason Norbeck notes that when money or sensitive personal information is involved, independent confirmation remains one of the most valuable safeguards.
The increasing sophistication of AI-enabled scams does not mean consumers are powerless. Jason Norbeck concludes that slowing down, questioning unexpected requests, verifying identities independently, and refusing to let emotional pressure dictate financial decisions can make it considerably harder for criminals to succeed.
As online fraud continues evolving throughout 2026, understanding how artificial intelligence is being used gives consumers important context. Jason Norbeck emphasizes that technology may make deception more convincing, but informed consumers can still create meaningful barriers between criminal attempts and financial loss.
Review the FBI’s current guidance on artificial intelligence, online fraud, synthetic content, phishing, and consumer protection.
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