The FBI Detroit office is warning Michigan residents that criminals are using artificial intelligence to run major scams and it’s costing victims big.
In a exclusive interview with Supervisory Special Agent Bryan Drake, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, he says criminal organizations are now using AI to generate fake voices, images, and even videos to make their scams more believable. “Those are probably the two categories that they’re using it the most, is the romance scam and the grandparent scam,” he said.
Drake said these scams are often run by organized crime groups around the world.
With only a few seconds of voice or video pulled from social media, scammers can now clone someone’s identity and trick loved ones into sending money. Drake warns, “Don’t necessarily trust your eyes and your ears because what you’re seeing and what you’re hearing might not be real.”
One personal story shared by Drake involved his own family. A scammer cloned his relative’s son’s voice and used it to call, claiming there was a problem with her bank account and asking for usernames and passwords. “It was her son’s voice. It wasn’t his real voice,” Drake said. Thankfully, she didn’t fall for it and instead contacted her real son using her phone’s contact list. “If she would have called them back at the number they called, thankfully she did not, she would have lost all her life savings,” he said.
To protect themselves, families are encouraged to develop a simple verbal “security code.” Drake explained, “Artificial intelligence can’t generate your code. So they’re not going to know that. So that’s one way to help with that.”
AI scams are also showing up on dating apps. Fake profiles, complete with AI-generated voices and images, are being used by scammers to deceive and exploit people looking for love.
“The best way to defend against AI is education,” Drake said. “Artificial intelligence is here to stay, whether we like it or not, and it’s going to be used, good and it’s going to be used for bad just like any other tool.”
Drake also stressed the importance of taking a moment before reacting to anything suspicious: “Take a second, take a breath… listen to the voicemail. I get scam calls every day… and they are all AI generated.”
The FBI has seen scam reports increase across Michigan. According to Drake, over $240 million was lost to scams in 2024—a $10 million jump from the previous year. Reports to the FBI’s IC3.gov site also increased from 14,500 to over 16,000 in the last year.
Drake said those who use sophisticated AI tools to commit fraud are charged with wire fraud and may receive harsher sentences due to “sophisticated means,” which can lead to longer jail time.
For young people and social media users, Drake urges caution: “Just be careful of what you do online and who you communicate with.” If someone tries to take the conversation from a dating site to an encrypted messaging app like WhatsApp, or repeatedly gives excuses not to meet in person, it’s a red flag.
And if someone ever asks for money? “It’s going to be a scammer. Don’t believe them. Don’t fall for it,” he warned.
If you or someone you know has fallen victim to an AI-driven scam, the FBI urges you to report it immediately to www.ic3.gov. Their Recovery Asset Team works around the clock to try and stop wire transfers, but time is critical.
Bottom line from the FBI: take a second, don’t trust everything you see or hear, and report scams immediately.
