Take steps to keep yourself safe with the
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TORONTO, Feb. 29,
2024 /CNW/ - As the use of artificial
intelligence (AI) increases, fraudsters are using it more and more
in their scams, and Canadians are taking notice. According to RBC's
annual Fraud Prevention Month Poll, 75% of respondents
are more concerned about fraud than ever before. Nine
in ten Canadians also believe the use of AI will increase scam
attempts over the next year (88%) and could make everyone more
vulnerable to fraud (89%).
Awareness is the first step in combating AI-related
scams
According to the poll, four in five Canadians believe that AI
will make fraud attempts by phone harder to detect
(81%) and are concerned about voice cloning and impersonation scams
(81%).
"With the recent rise in voice cloning and deepfakes, fraudsters
are able to employ a new level of sophistication to phone and
online scams," says Kevin Purkiss,
vice president, Fraud Management, RBC. "The good news
is that awareness of these types of scams is high, but we also need
to take action to safeguard ourselves from fraudsters."
The research also found that phishing (generic scams through
email or text), spear phishing (emails or texts that look
legitimate) and vishing (targeted phone or voicemail scams)
continue to rank in the top three types of fraud. More
than half also say they have seen an increase in deepfake scams
(56%), and almost half (47%) say voice cloning scams are on the
rise.
Trends in social engineering, social media targeting and
fraud spotting
- More than half of poll respondents (57%) have seen an increase
in social engineering scams with three quarters (76%) expressing
concern about them. Four in five (82%) believe these scams will
increase as people deal with economic challenges.
- More than half (53%) say they are being targeted by fraudsters
more than ever through social media.
- Canadians may be overestimating their ability to spot the signs
of AI-enabled fraud. Almost two thirds of
respondents (64%) feel confident about recognizing an AI-enabled
scam developed by fraudsters.
- There has been a decrease in respondents proactively keeping
themselves safe, with only 28% recently taking added steps to
protect themselves (down from 36% in 2023).
"As criminals continue to evolve their scams with new
technology, your first defence is to remain vigilant and take
additional steps to protect yourself," adds Purkiss.
RBC recommends three tips to stay ahead of fraudsters
- Keep your guard up. Set up alerts on your accounts,
enable multi-factor authentication whenever possible and use
the RBC Mobile App as your primary banking tool. Remember to
be on the lookout for impersonation scams, with criminals
pretending to be trusted sources, like government, bank staff, law
enforcement or even a family member. Some experts also recommend
having a personal password among loved ones to verify that you're
speaking to the right person.
- Avoid sharing personal information. Be cautious
about what you share on social media and keep your voicemail
generic and short to deter robo-callers trying to capture your name
or voice. Ignore or delete unsolicited emails and texts asking
for your information or containing suspicious links or money
schemes.
- Never feel pressured to respond. Have you received
an urgent request from a seemingly official source asking you to
move or send money and share your confidential information? Stay
calm and resist the temptation to act. Does the offer seem too good
to be true? If so, it's likely a scam.
To learn more about the measures RBC takes to prevent
fraud and how you can report it, please visit How RBC
Keeps You Safe from Fraud.
2024 RBC Fraud Prevention Month Poll
RESPONSE
|
CAN
|
BC
|
AB
|
SK /
MB
|
ON
|
QC
|
AC
|
"Agree"
|
I'm more concerned
about fraud than
ever before
|
75 %
|
74 %
|
80 %
|
74 %
|
76 %
|
69 %
|
84 %
|
Scams will increase
this year with the
use of artificial intelligence (AI)
|
88 %
|
87 %
|
90 %
|
90 %
|
89 %
|
85 %
|
87 %
|
Artificial intelligence
(AI) will make
everyone more vulnerable to fraud
|
89 %
|
88 %
|
92 %
|
92 %
|
89 %
|
89 %
|
89 %
|
Artificial intelligence
(AI) will make fraud
attempts by phone harder to detect
|
81 %
|
82 %
|
83 %
|
83 %
|
82 %
|
77 %
|
78 %
|
I am concerned about
voice cloning and
impersonation scams
|
81 %
|
81 %
|
81 %
|
78 %
|
81 %
|
81 %
|
85 %
|
I am being targeted by
fraudsters more
than ever through social media
|
53 %
|
49 %
|
55 %
|
56 %
|
53 %
|
49 %
|
61 %
|
I feel confident that I
can recognize a
scam or fraud scheme that uses AI
|
64 %
|
68 %
|
68 %
|
69 %
|
66 %
|
51 %
|
68 %
|
I have recently taken
added steps to
protect myself from fraud
|
28 %
|
29 %
|
32 %
|
28 %
|
31 %
|
22 %
|
30 %
|
"Types of
fraud that have increased
over the last year"
|
Phishing
|
79 %
|
78 %
|
82 %
|
77 %
|
79 %
|
77 %
|
79 %
|
Spear
Phishing
|
79 %
|
74 %
|
83 %
|
74 %
|
82 %
|
75 %
|
85 %
|
Vishing
|
69 %
|
73 %
|
77 %
|
63 %
|
70 %
|
61 %
|
75 %
|
Deepfake
Scams
|
56 %
|
57 %
|
59 %
|
47 %
|
58 %
|
51 %
|
70 %
|
Social Engineering
Scams
|
57 %
|
57 %
|
61 %
|
56 %
|
56 %
|
57 %
|
66 %
|
Voice Cloning
Scams
|
47 %
|
48 %
|
49 %
|
41 %
|
45 %
|
48 %
|
52 %
|
"Concerned"
|
I am concerned about
social
engineering scams
|
76 %
|
78 %
|
79 %
|
72 %
|
77 %
|
71 %
|
84 %
|
I am concerned social
engineering
scams will increase as people deal with
the economic downturn
|
82 %
|
86 %
|
86 %
|
84 %
|
86 %
|
71 %
|
83 %
|
Fraud dictionary
- Phishing: email or text with a fake offer or
notification
- Spear phishing: email or text pretending to be
a legitimate or known source (e.g., bank, government, Canada
Revenue or law enforcement)
- Vishing: phone call or voice message seeming to be
from a reputable or trusted source
- Deepfake scams: fraudsters use computer-manipulated
images and audio to scam you out of money or to get you to provide
confidential information
- Voice cloning scams: fraudsters use voice-cloning AI or
a recording of your voice to impersonate a family member, friend or
other trusted source
- Social engineering scams: fraudsters use
information they may know about you to gain your trust and trick
you into providing confidential information or money
About the survey
These are the findings of a survey commissioned by RBC that was
conducted from January 15 to January 19,
2024, among a nationally representative sample of n=1,502
Canadian adults (18+), balanced and weighted on age, gender, region
and education. All respondents were members of the online Angus
Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a sample of this size
would yield a margin of error of ± 2.5 percentage points at a 95%
confidence level. The survey was offered in both English and
French.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a
global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led
approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from
the 94,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights
to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our
clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank and one of the largest
in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified
business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional
experiences to our more than 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn
more at rbc.com.
We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives
through donations, community investments and employee volunteer
activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.
SOURCE RBC Royal Bank