Bridging the Protection Gap: Innovative Approaches to Shield Older Adults From AI-Enhanced Scams — 88a — LD Herrera, London Van Sickle, Ashley Podhradsky

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining popularity as individuals, groups, and organizations discover and apply its expanding capabilities. Generative AI creates or alters various content types including text, image, audio, and video that are realistic and challenging to identify as AI-generated constructs. However, guardrails preventing malicious use of AI are easily bypassed. Numerous indications suggest that scammers are already using AI to enhance already successful scams, improving scam effectiveness, speed and credibility, while reducing detectability of scams that target older adults, who are known to be slow to adopt new technologies. The research examines 84 scams which are known to victimize older adults. It identifies common components and explores how AI could be used to enhance these elements. Through the analysis of two hypothetical cases, the tech support scams and the romance scams, this paper explores the future of AI in scams affecting older adults by identifying current vulnerabilities and recommending updated defensive measures. The methodology uses a five-stage approach: analyzing scam anatomy, identifying AI enhancements, forming hypothetical cases, analyzing cases to identify current defensive gaps, and recommending updated defensive measures. This research suggests that AI is likely to significantly improve scam effectiveness by enhancing communication, background information, technologies, physical materials, and scam processes. Four defensive gaps are identified: a lack of elevated support connections, inadequate self-protection guidance, insufficient crime reporting motivation, and outdated detection systems. To address these gaps, this study recommends increasing support for older adults, improving detection capabilities, and motivating timely scam reporting. The implications of this research are significant, as even a small reduction in scam effectiveness could save millions of dollars from being lost to scammers. By anticipating future AI-enhanced threats and proposing proactive defensive measures, this study aims to contribute to the protection of older adults against increasingly sophisticated scams in the AI era.

Dakota State University
Ashley Podhradsky DSc