An Interpol cybercrime chief says scammers are learning to weaponize artificial intelligence faster than law enforcement can adapt to the tech.
In a new interview with CNA, Dr. Neal Jetton, Interpol’s director of cybercrime, warns that criminal groups are moving quickly to integrate AI into their operations while police are still adjusting to its reach.
“But I’m also a realist and say that criminals are going to be able to use this emerging tech quicker than probably law enforcement can catch up to it. So I think that, yeah, we have to be wary that it’s being out there.”
Jetton says the problem extends beyond technology, as scammers have mastered the art of preying on basic human psychology.
“The next thing I would say is just always be cynical. It’s tough to do that all the time, because I think human beings we’re just trusting. That’s just in our nature.”
He describes how scammers exploit emotions, using seasonal or personal vulnerabilities to draw people into fraudulent relationships that later become financial traps.
“Cybercriminals are very, very good at preying on our weaknesses. They know at certain times of the year, holidays, things like that, people are lonelier, so maybe they’ll reach out. They know how to touch your heartstrings.
Before you know it, you’re in what you think is some sort of relationship, but then it quickly turns to like, ‘Hey, I have an investment opportunity for you’ or something like that.”
Jetton urges greater vigilance, saying awareness and conversation remain the first lines of defense against social engineering scams.
“Just be a little bit cynical. I also think, talk to those people who might be in vulnerable communities, like your parents, who may not know as much, but especially like your children…
So you have to just be on guard all the time. So that would be really it…. If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.”
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