How To Spot People Generated by AI? Experts Warn Against Fake Dating Profiles, Social Media Accounts Used in Extortion

In an effort to deceive individuals, scammers are fabricating fictitious dating profiles and social media accounts. AI-generated models have started to proliferate on OnlyFans, while Tinder "coaches" are seeking assistance from ChatGPT to obtain dates. Trends are also rising for applications using AI chatbots to function as a "companion."

These fraudulent accounts are being utilized for "romance scams," where the scammers manipulate individuals into entering into a relationship and then exploit the partnership to obtain funds. In 2022, these scams resulted in $1.3 billion of losses for US citizens, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Additionally, other groups have utilized AI-generated images to target corporations.

Tips on How To Recognize an AI Image

Cyber security experts provided MailOnline with advice on how to identify an AI profile by examining characteristics, such as hands, teeth, and shadows. Martin Cheek, a fraud and cyber security specialist at SmartSearch, noted that ChatGPT makes it easy for cybercriminals to present themselves as other individuals without needing advanced writing abilities.

But AI-generated faces are not perfect so recognizing them may aid in determining whether a Tinder match is genuine while avoiding romance scams, in which scammers use images of attractive people, such as models or actors, to deceive individuals into forming an online relationship and requesting money. Here are some of the things to look at to identify an AI-generated image:

• Hands- Cyril Noel-Tagoe, the Principal Security Researcher at cybersecurity firm Netacea, said that AI struggles to perfect the recognition of hands with varying sizes and numbers of fingers.
• Shadows and Background of the Picture- Vonny Gamot, a senior leader at McAfee, told the news outlet that the inconsistent shadows in the background are telltale signs of an AI-generated photo as the artificial intelligence application creates fake shadows without using real lighting.
• Tone, Hair, Eyes, Face, and Teeth (THEFT)- McAfee's theft prevention system, called THEFT, examines physical features using AI, but struggles to accurately display all of the necessary characteristics.
  • Tone- Blotchy patches, irregular skin tones, and flickering edges are signs of deep fake images and videos caused by generators creating an "average" of small imperfections and differing skin colors.
  • Hair- AI-generated images produce perfect hair for models, unlike real people who have flyways and irregular strands.
  • Eyes- Various glitches can affect the appearance of eyes and eyeglasses, including asymmetry, unresponsiveness, misalignment, and irregular lighting in the iris.
  • Face- Image generators can create human-like faces with all the features, but slight misalignments due to the machine not quite understanding the relationships between them can create an eerie effect.
  • Teeth- Deepfakes can sometimes create unrealistic teeth, both too perfect or with abnormal irregularities, such as teeth being too long, short, or too many in the mouth

Signs of a Fake Dating Profile

Online dating is a popular way to find romantic partners, but it's important to be cautious of fake profiles that use false information or photos to deceive others. Many scammers have used ChatGPT to write responses but sometimes they use outdated speech that can be a telltale sign it is AI-generated.

Below are some of the signs that a dating profile could be fake according to Lux Life:

• Blurred or unclear profile photo
• Incomplete personal information
• Less site activity
• Inconsistent information in the profile
• Poorly written dating profile
• Requesting personal information too soon
• Suspicious profile names
• Too perfect photos
• Inappropriate content (sexual)

Check out more news and information on Artificial Intelligence in Science Times.