HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Think twice before responding to an online request for money from a friend or relative. It may not be them.
A recent FBI report shows Americans lost more than $20 billion to internet scams last year, up 26% from 2024.
In Hawaii, fraud losses nearly doubled.
One disturbing trend — scammers are using artificial intelligence tools like scraping and chatbots to make scams more believable and more personalized.
The FBI says AI-linked scams cost Americans about $900 million last year, allowing cybercriminals to commit fraud quickly and on a larger scale by automating outreach, bypassing traditional security filters, and impersonating trusted figures.
“It’s just taken scams to a whole new level now,” said retired HPD deputy chief John McCarthy, who spent years investigating cybercrimes. “They’re able to duplicate voices, in some cases, duplicate people’s appearance. It makes the scam all that much more real and all that much more harder for law enforcement to track who’s behind this.”
Scammers are using AI-generated fake profiles and scripts and voice cloning to pretend to be loved ones who need help in an emergency. Before sending money, verify and speak to the person directly.
“It really sounds like your grandson on the phone. Why? Because they got your grandson’s voice somehow. They made that link. They went to your Facebook page because you post pictures of your successful grandson and videos of them. you know, they gather all this information and then they use it against you,” McCarthy explained.
Criminals are also using AI to create and send official-sounding emails that mimic coworkers and include phishing links or voice cloning, requesting your financial information. One so-called Business Email Compromise scam targets Microsoft 365 users.
Other trends: deepfakes used to extort money from youth, trick victims into sharing private information, and promote investment scams.
“The only hard and fast rule again is be wary of anyone who tells you something on the internet, and validate, verify, and don’t do something too quickly,” advises cybersecurity expert Al Ogata, President & CEO of CyberHawaii.
The FBI’s latest Internet Crime Complaint Center report shows Hawaii lost more than $106 million last year, double the previous year. Hawaii jumped from 14th to 5th in the nation for losses for every 100,000 residents.
Ogata notes the rise shows more people are reporting cybercrimes.
Until law enforcement and detection software catch up with criminals, the best protection is skepticism.
“Assume that somebody who comes to you, who you may or may not have met, could be pretending, and not the person they say they are,” Ogata said.
CyberHawaii is hosting its annual cybersecurity conference on June 23-24 at UH Manoa and UH West Oahu. To register, click here.
If you are dealing with a scam, contact:
Report online scams to the FBI IC3DCCA Consumer Resource Center: 808-587-3222SMP Hawaii: 808-586-7281 (Oahu) or toll-free at 800-296-9422AARP Hawaii: 866-295-7282File complaints to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network provides free tools and support to help people spot and avoid fraud, including:
AARP Fraud Watch Network™ Helpline (877-908-3360) – Free guidance from trained fraud specialists, available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET.Watchdog Alerts- A free bi-weekly email and text newsletter covering the latest fraud trends.Scam-Tracking Map – See fraud occurring near you or report an incident.
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