AI-enabled fake debt-collector scams target retirees
Cybersecurity experts warn of an FBI-noted wave of scams using AI and phone‑spoofing to impersonate debt collectors and pressure retirees into paying via gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency. The Fox News Digital piece quotes Pete Nicoletti, chief information security officer at Check Point, and lays out concrete consumer-protection steps — including invoking FDCPA debt‑validation rights, checking with the CFPB/FTC and contacting original creditors directly — to verify and block fraudulent demands.
AI & Tech
Consumer Protection
📰 Sources (1)
How retirees can stop fake debt collector scams
New information:
- FBI has issued a warning (as cited by the article) about AI-enabled phone scams impersonating debt collectors and targeting seniors.
- Cybersecurity expert Pete Nicoletti (Check Point CISO) and consumer-protection agencies (CFPB, FTC) are referenced as sources for verification and reporting.
- Practical steps advised: demand written debt validation under the FDCPA, avoid unusual payment methods (gift cards/wire/crypto), verify collector licensing with state AG or CFPB, and contact the original creditor using independently verified numbers.