Good morning! Today we’re talking about a scam making the rounds with a fake AI photo, a simple trick for fighting back against scam texts, and a free tool worth trying.
In today’s issue: a fake “sheriff’s deputy” scam using an AI-made photo, a one-minute trick for reporting scam texts, and a free AI tool called Perplexity that shows its sources.
Let’s get started.
STAYING SAFE
That “Deputy” Who Called and Texted a Photo? Neither Was Real
In Michigan, people have been getting phone calls from someone claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy. After the call, the person texts over a photo of a uniformed “officer” to seem official. But that photo isn’t a real picture of anyone — it was made by an AI tool, a computer program that can create a realistic-looking picture of a person who doesn’t actually exist.
The caller invents a name and a badge number, then says you have an outstanding arrest warrant, missed jury duty, or that a relative has been arrested. They say the only way to avoid being taken into custody is to pay right away — and they don’t want cash in an envelope. They want you to drive to a cryptocurrency ATM, a machine often found at a gas station or convenience store that turns your cash into a kind of digital money called cryptocurrency, and feed your money into it on the spot. Once that money is sent, getting it back is nearly impossible.
Investigators say one tip is to look closely at the “officer” photo — some of these AI-made images show an oddly-colored or wrong-style uniform. But don’t rely on your eyes alone; these fake images keep getting more convincing.
Takeaway: Real police departments and courts do not call to demand money over the phone, and they never ask you to pay at a cryptocurrency ATM. If you get a call like this, hang up and call your local police department’s regular, non-emergency number yourself to check.
TRY THIS
Got a Suspicious Text? Forward It to This Number Before You Delete It
Scam text messages are getting harder to spot, now that AI tools let scammers write smooth, well-punctuated messages instead of the clumsy, typo-filled ones from a few years back. There’s a simple, free habit that actually helps your phone carrier fight back.
Open the suspicious text without tapping any link inside it and without replying. Press and hold on the message until a menu appears, choose “Forward,” type in the number 7726 — which spells out “SPAM” on a phone’s keypad — and send it. Your phone carrier collects these reports to spot patterns and block the numbers sending scam texts in bulk. Then delete the original message.
The whole thing takes less than a minute and works the same way on an iPhone or an Android phone.
Takeaway: Next time a strange text asks you to click a link about a late package, an unpaid toll, or a bank alert, forward it to 7726 first — then delete it.
WORTH A LOOK
A Free AI Tool That Shows Its Sources: Meet Perplexity
If you’ve been curious about AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini but a little uneasy because you can’t tell where their answers come from, there’s a free tool built with exactly that worry in mind. It’s called Perplexity — a website and phone app that answers a question you type or speak in plain English, the same way a chatbot does.
The difference is that every answer comes with a list of the actual websites it pulled information from, so you can click through and check for yourself. To try it, go to perplexity.ai in any web browser, or download the free Perplexity app on your phone. You don’t even need to create an account for basic searches.
It’s handy for things like “what’s the difference between these two Medicare plans” or “is this claim I read online actually true” — it answers in plain language and shows you exactly where that answer came from.
Takeaway: If you’d like an AI chatbot’s convenience along with an easy way to double-check its answers, try Perplexity at perplexity.ai — it’s free, and it shows its sources.
Until tomorrow,
EZ AI