Good morning! Today we're looking at how scammers are using AI to look and sound more convincing than ever — and two simple ways to protect yourself.
In today's issue: how AI is helping fake financial advisors look real, a simple 5-letter checklist to run before you click on a suspicious text, and a free AI assistant that can build your Thanksgiving shopping list for you.
Let's get started.
STAYING SAFE
Think You'd Spot a Fake Financial Advisor? AI Is Making That Harder
Scammers who want access to your retirement savings have always tried to look convincing. Now artificial intelligence is helping them do it better — according to FINRA, the organization that oversees stockbrokers and investment firms in the U.S.
FINRA says AI hasn't invented brand-new investment scams. The tricks — fake “can't lose” opportunities, pressure to act fast, requests for secrecy — are the same ones that have worked for decades. What's changed is how believable the scammer behind them can now look and sound. With just three to fifteen seconds of someone's voice (easy to grab from a video posted online), AI can clone that voice well enough to fool a phone call. With a single clear photo, it can create a face that moves and talks convincingly on a video call.
Scammers are also building fake investment websites in minutes now, and some of these sites even show real-looking license numbers, making them look like registered, legitimate firms.
Takeaway: A friendly video call or a familiar-sounding voice is no longer solid proof of who you're really talking to. Before you ever send money to anyone about an investment, verify that person and their firm through a phone number or website you looked up yourself — never one they gave you.
STAYING SAFE
The 5-Letter Checklist PayPal Wants You to Use Before You Click
AI has made scam texts and emails look polished and personal, which makes them harder to catch by gut feeling alone. This week, PayPal and Venmo's chief security officer shared a simple checklist anyone can run through before responding to a suspicious message. It spells out S-T-A-L-L.
Here's what each letter means. Sender — look at the actual email address behind the name, not just the name itself. Tone — be suspicious of any message that pressures you, threatens you, or creates urgency to act right now. Attachments — don't open a file you weren't expecting. Links — look closely at the web address for misspellings or anything that seems off. Log In — be wary of any message that asks you to sign into an account on the spot.
If a message claims to be from your bank or a payment app, don't tap anything inside it. Instead, open that company's official app or website yourself, the way you normally would.
Takeaway: Next time an unexpected text or email asks you to act fast, run it through STALL — Sender, Tone, Attachments, Links, Log In — before you do anything else.
TRY THIS
Hosting Thanksgiving? Let a Free AI Assistant Build Your Shopping List
If you're hosting a holiday gathering this month, Walmart's free AI assistant — called Sparky — can help you plan for it. It's built right into the Walmart app, at no extra cost.
Just describe the event in plain English, like “Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people” or “a small birthday party for my grandson,” and Sparky will put together a shopping list covering food, decorations, and other items you're likely to need. You can still add, remove, or change anything on the list yourself before you buy.
The same app update also makes it easier to search for a specific item and see exactly which aisle it's in at your local store, and to build a wish list that automatically sorts itself by aisle.
Takeaway: Before your next big grocery trip for a gathering, open the Walmart app and ask Sparky to build your list — it's free, and it can save you a few trips back for the things you forgot.
Until tomorrow,
EZ AI