Good morning! AI keeps showing up in places you might not expect — including, it turns out, in how much you pay for things online.
In today's issue: why AI scams hit older adults so much harder financially, a heads-up about AI-inflated shopping prices before the holidays, and a fun trick for getting dinner ideas from a photo of your fridge.
Let's get started.
STAYING SAFE
Why an AI Scam Costs an Older Adult Nearly Three Times More Than Everyone Else
The FBI now tracks AI-related fraud separately from other scams, and the latest breakdown of its numbers shows something striking: people age 60 and older filed only about 1 out of every 7 AI-related scam complaints last year, but they accounted for nearly 4 out of every 10 dollars lost. It's not just that more older adults are targeted — when they do lose money, they tend to lose far more of it at once. The average loss per complaint for someone 60 or older was a little over $112,000, compared with under $40,000 for everyone else.
Scammers often have good reason to go after larger sums from this age group: retirement savings, home equity, and other money that's been set aside for years rather than spent month to month. A single convincing phone call, video chat, or “urgent” message can be aimed at talking someone into moving a large amount all at once.
The practical defense hasn't changed, even as the scams get more convincing: never trust a voice or a face on a call alone, even one that sounds exactly like a bank officer, a grandchild, or a government official — AI can clone both. If anyone asks you to move money, hang up and call that person or organization back using a phone number you already know is real, not one they gave you. And if you've been talking with someone new online who starts asking for money, that's a moment to pause and check in with someone you trust before sending anything.
Takeaway: If anyone — even a very familiar-sounding voice — asks you to move a large sum of money, hang up and call them back on a number you already know is real before doing anything.
— eWeek
SMART SHOPPING
Before You Buy: Google's AI Shopping Answers Might Be Showing You a Higher Price
If you've searched for something to buy on Google recently, you may have noticed a newer kind of results page called “AI Mode,” where instead of a plain list of links, Google's AI writes you a summary and suggests specific products with prices built right in.
An outside research firm recently tested this by comparing the same products side by side in AI Mode and in Google's regular search results. They found that identical items were priced about 21.6% higher, on average, in the AI-written answers. The seller it recommended was also different from the regular search results nearly half the time — and usually a pricier one.
Google says it hasn't verified the study's methods, so take the exact numbers with a grain of salt. But the lesson is a safe one to follow regardless: an AI-generated shopping answer is a starting point, not the final word on price. Before buying anything this way, click through to the actual product page and compare it against a plain Google search or the retailer's own website. With the holiday shopping season approaching, a habit of double-checking prices — AI-suggested or not — can save real money.
Takeaway: Treat any AI shopping suggestion as a starting point — click through and compare prices yourself before you buy, especially for anything big-ticket.
— Futurism
TRY THIS
Let ChatGPT Look in Your Fridge and Suggest What's for Dinner
Here's a simple, almost fun way to try AI for the first time (or the hundredth): ChatGPT, the free AI chatbot from OpenAI, can “look” at a photo you show it and describe what it sees including suggesting a recipe based on what's actually in your fridge or pantry.
To try it: open the free ChatGPT app on your phone (iPhone or Android) or go to chatgpt.com on a computer. Take a photo of your fridge shelf or pantry, or use one you already have. Tap the small paperclip icon (on a computer) or the gallery/camera icon (in the phone app) to attach that photo to your message. Then type something like “What can I make for dinner with what's in this photo?” and send it.
Within a few seconds, you'll get back a suggested recipe or two based on the actual ingredients ChatGPT can see. If something's missing — say you're out of garlic — just type a follow-up like “I don't have garlic, what else could I use?” and it'll adjust. A clear, uncluttered photo works best; if too many different things are crammed into one picture, ChatGPT may get confused about what to focus on. This is part of ChatGPT's free plan, though free accounts do have a daily limit on how many photos and messages you can send — plenty for everyday use.
Takeaway: Next time you're staring into the fridge wondering what to make, snap a photo and ask ChatGPT — it's free, and it might surprise you with a dinner idea.
Until tomorrow,
EZ AI