Not everybody is cut out for using the internet. Scams abound, and some of them are even pretty slick. Handily, Meta has just released a set of AI-powered anti-scam tools intended to help those Darwinian disasters who can’t spot someone trying to steal their information.
The new tools are coming to Facebook, WhatsApp, and the standalone Messenger app — all of which are serious attack vectors. These will warn users when a friend request is suspicious or when they’re about to link their account to a new device.
Meta scam prevention
There are a couple of other features coming from Meta’s scam-detection push, but let’s deal with the useful lot first. Some WhatsApp scams attempt to take over a user’s account, using false links or QR codes to pass control over to the scammer. These will now flash up a warning, letting users know that they’re about to be monumentally stupid. The GIF that WhatsApp’s parent company uses to illustrate the scam is… well, it’s something.
The other features, ostensibly also using AI, could quite easily use a static message before every transaction. When specific subjects come up on Facebook or Messenger, Meta’s system will offer a warning that no stranger is about to give you free money. Or that the account contacting you is in another region. Or that it was made a handful of days ago, or similar red flags.
This use of AI, plus measures aimed at curbing celebrity and brand impersonators, is a great short-term idea. In the long term, however, it runs the risk of making users more susceptible to scams. If AI is catching them without engaging a user’s brain, those survival instincts are bound to atrophy. And then… well, let’s just say your bank probably won’t refund the money.
