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new york – Nearly half of Americans (48%) believe the rise of artificial intelligence has made them “less likely to get scammed” than ever before. With AI making inroads in education, finance and even science, a new survey finds many people no longer know who they can trust.
In a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, only 18% felt “very confident” in their ability to spot a scam before it happens to them. As America enters a new technological era, AI continues to blur the line between the real and artificial worlds.
One in three even admit it's hard to spot a potential scam when the scammer is trying to impersonate someone they know personally. With fake news being created (68%), robocalls with real voices (67%) and text messages being sent from familiar phone numbers (62%), the possibility and probability of becoming a victim of a scam can cause anxiety for many Americans.
This is likely because 34% of respondents have been victims of some form of fraud over the years – for 22% of respondents, the incident was more than five years ago, prior to the recent explosion of artificial intelligence.
For others, the damage is still fresh: Survey results show that 40% said they had fallen victim to a scam within the past year, and 8% as recently as the last month. The most common types of scams plaguing victims include fake sales or listings (29%), financial manipulation (29%) and email phishing (28%).
With so many different types of fraud, it's no surprise that Americans want to see more enforcement in certain areas: When asked where they feel most need protection against fraud, respondents overwhelmingly chose financial transactions (49%), followed by email (15%) and online sales (14%).
The survey, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by BOSS Revolution, also aimed to understand US adults' sentiment towards artificial intelligence, and found that it's not all doom and gloom.
Nearly four in ten respondents (38%) have a positive view of AI, and many of those are seeing the benefits of AI. While AI integration may not be as advanced as in the legal and medical fields, many are already using AI to answer common questions (64%), handle tasks they don't want to do themselves (43%), and translate languages (42%).
Of the 31% who tend to have a negative view of concerns around AI, privacy and data (67%), fear of losing control (65%) and worries about fraud (61%) are keeping people wary of the Terminator.
Still, 38% of respondents admit they are likely to use AI for everyday tasks such as translating languages (48%), composing texts or emails (48%), and choosing recipes to cook (41%). Whether planned or not, 21% believe they interact with artificial intelligence every day, and a further 31% do so several times a week. Still, with fraud and deception rampant, four in five respondents believe the use of AI should be more tightly regulated.
“As AI technology advances, so do the scammers' methods for exploiting it. It's important that consumers remain vigilant,” said Jessica Poveline, executive VP of marketing at BOSS Revolution, in a statement. “We encourage users to verify the identity of all parties involved in a transaction, never rush into a transaction when under pressure, and always verify the contact information provided by the requester. If in doubt, we also encourage users to call the requester using a trusted number to verify their identity.”
Money Talks
It's a common and essential part of any household, but one that can often be a source of stress: More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans believe that artificial intelligence will have a very large impact on financial fraud. Going a step further, only 25% believe that artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on their financial security.
These concerns may be justified: the average respondent sends money to others or uses money transfer services about twice a month, exposing them to the risk of fraud and abuse. Respondents use money transfer services because it's convenient (50%), easy (32%), or because the recipient lives far away (16%). Only 14% of respondents said they use the services because it's safer.
“Protecting users from fraud is a top priority for modern businesses that care about their user well-being, especially in the context of evolving AI-enabled fraud,” Poverene adds. “It's critical to employ advanced algorithms and rigorous verification processes, such as AI anomaly detection, real-time monitoring and multi-layered authentication, to detect and prevent fraudulent activity and ensure transactions are safe.”
Research Methodology
The random, double opt-in survey was commissioned by BOSS Revolution and conducted among 2,000 general American respondents between June 5th and June 10th, 2024. The survey was conducted by Talker Research, a market research firm with team members who are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Public Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
