Protecting Your Customers Against Scams in the Age of AI

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes

Consumers worldwide face a real crisis: navigating how to stay safe from identity theft and scams, especially in the wake of new advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

While AI has its benefits, it also raises significant concerns, particularly regarding cybersecurity. AI makes it harder to tell what is real and what is not. Until recently, wonky fonts, odd writing, and grammar mistakes were signs that a message could be a scam. Now, cybercriminals can use AI to create increasingly convincing and sophisticated phishing messages and solicitations. Scams don't just affect individuals – they also pose a significant threat to businesses by damaging a company's reputation and eroding customer trust.

While many businesses are sharing educational and awareness resources, brands have an opportunity to enhance these consumer safety efforts by offering their customers the tools necessary to help protect themselves from scams. With the rise of sophisticated scams thanks to AI, consumers are looking to the brands they already trust to help them mitigate the impact of these threats. 

Iris^® Powered by Generali’s distinctive scam analysis tool, ScamAssist^®, can help your customers avoid falling victim to scams. Read more to learn how scams have evolved due to advancements in AI and what you can do to help protect your customers.

How Can Scams Affect Your Customers?

Phishing Scams

Phishing scams remain a significant threat to individuals and businesses alike. 

In the past, consumers were warned to watch for grammar mistakes, wrong or strange email addresses, or messages containing suspicious and urgent requests. However, with advancements in AI, scammers can now correct these errors, making their messages appear even more genuine. Moreover, AI enables scammers to tailor messages to specific demographics, which increases the message’s effectiveness.

ScamAssist can help consumers spot a phishing scam before they click a link or respond by allowing them to submit suspicious emails, texts, and more for review. Our team of experts meticulously examines the submitted message, scanning for specific criteria to identify potential phishing attempts.

In the event that a customer reports accidentally interacting with a suspicious message, their case is promptly treated as an identity theft resolution incident, prioritizing the safety of their identity.

Sample images provided for illustration purposes.

As scams become increasingly sophisticated with the aid of AI technology, identifying phishing messages can be challenging for the average consumer. By partnering with Iris and offering ScamAssist, you can provide your customers with a powerful tool to help them combat this evolving threat.

Phone Scams

Over the past few decades, phone scam cases have continued to rise, and they aren’t going away any time soon. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there were over 297,000 reports of fraud that originated from phone calls in 2023, resulting in a staggering total loss of $850 million.

What’s even more concerning is that with the advancements in AI, voice-cloning scams are expected to grow even more. In the past year, there have already been numerous reports of scammers using voice-cloning technology to trick people into thinking a loved one was in danger and needed money to be saved.

ScamAssist can help your customers determine if phone calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are potential scam attempts.

ScamAssist is unique from other fraud detection tools because it combines proprietary scam analysis technology with the element of human review. When your customers contact Iris’ Resolution Center, they can trust that their messages undergo thorough analysis by more than just a computer. A seasoned expert in scam detection carefully examines these messages and looks for various indicators that could point to fraud. After determining the level of risk involved, the expert notifies the customer and provides guidance on the appropriate next steps to take. This process spares your customers from worrying about navigating this issue alone, saving them time and providing them peace of mind.

Your customers can rest assured knowing they can count on your business to provide them with a tool and educational resources to help them avoid being victimized by phone scams. By prioritizing your customers’ online safety, your business will reap the benefits of further enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and more.

Beyond Protecting Your Customers: Why Offering ScamAssist is Crucial for Businesses Today

As cyber threats evolve, businesses must prioritize their customers’ online safety by providing them with proactive tools that help reduce their risk, and also benefit the brand. Here's why:

• Safeguarding Brand Integrity Amid Rising Impersonation Threats: Well-known brands are prime targets for impersonation scams. ScamAssist not only allows users to submit suspicious solicitations for review, it also provides users with educational resources such as tips on how to spot and avoid common scams, and links to report specific scam types to the correct authorities. Having these resources available for your customers helps empower them to protect themselves from scams and positions your company as one that cares about their well-being.
  
  
• Building Trust with Your Customers: Customers value companies who prioritize their online safety. Offering customers ScamAssist can help strengthen the bond between your business and its customers, maintain a positive reputation, and increase customer satisfaction.

How ScamAssist Can Help Keep Your Customers Safe

ScamAssist offers a unique solution to help consumers avoid becoming victims of scams. As the only one of its kind to combine proprietary technology and human review, ScamAssist can assess suspicious messages of many kinds, including:

• Emails 
• Website or web links/URLS
• Flyers or direct mail
• Phone calls or voicemails
• Text messages

Request a demo today to learn how you can start offering your customers ScamAssist.

No system used to detect scammers, malware or dangerous items is entirely successful or foolproof. Accordingly, members who access and use ScamAssist^® do so entirely at the members’ own risk. Generali Global Assistance, inc. DBA Iris^® Powered by Generali (“Iris”) ScamAssist services are provided to members on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Without limiting the foregoing, Iris and its affiliates, agents, partners, and subsidiaries disclaim to the maximum extent allowed by law any warranties, express or implied, of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement in connection with ScamAssist.

By asking us to evaluate a contact, offer or solicitation through ScamAssist, you agree: 1) that ScamAssist helps to determine whether an offer or solicitation is legitimate or poses an apparent threat, but it may not necessarily detect all threats; 2) that Iris is not responsible or liable for the availability, accuracy, or effectiveness of the techniques, products, tools, or resources used by Iris in its ScamAssist service; 3) that any references or links to websites or resources that Iris may send to you in response to your case do not imply any endorsement by Iris of the content, products, or services of such websites or resources; 4) that by using ScamAssist, you understand that Iris cannot and does not guarantee the safety of items checked using ScamAssist; and 5) that you assume all responsibility and risk arising from using, “clicking on," responding to, or otherwise engaging with any offer or solicitation that you may receive.