AI scams: cloned voices, fake videos and phishing

The granddaughter's call

It is nine at night. The phone rings. It is your granddaughter's voice, crying: "Grandma, I had an accident, I need money right now. Don't tell Dad." It is her voice, her way of talking. But it is not her.

Today a few seconds of recording (a social media video will do) are enough to imitate a voice convincingly. Scams are old; AI only made them more convincing.

The four most common tricks

The signs are always the same

The technology changes. The scammer's tricks do not:

• Urgency: "it has to be now", "or you lose everything".
• Secrecy: "don't tell anyone", "don't talk to the bank".
• Money or codes: transfer, MB WAY, cards, the code that arrived by SMS.
• A strange channel: a new number, "I changed phone", a link in a message.

If you see two of these together, stop, however real the voice or video seems.

The defences that work

• A family code word. Agree, aloud, on a word only you know. On an emergency call, ask for the word. If the person does not say it, nothing is confirmed: people can forget the word, so hang up and check another way before sending any money.
• Hang up and call back, on the number you already had saved, not the one that called you.
• Check through another channel. Message another relative. Go to the bank. Call the school.
• Never give out SMS codes. Not to the "bank", the "police" or a "technician". No legitimate person asks for them.
• Look for the original video, on the person's official channel or in well-known newspapers. If it only exists in that ad, be suspicious.
• Do not click links in messages. Type your bank's or the tax office's address yourself.

Where to report in Portugal

If you were a victim, or nearly were, do not be ashamed: it happens to careful people. Reporting helps stop the next attempt. Outside Portugal, use your country's equivalent.

• If you gave money or bank details: call the bank straight away, on the number on your card or the official website, and ask them to block it.
• PSP, GNR or Polícia Judiciária (the police forces): report it at a police station or post. Fraud is a crime.
• Linha Internet Segura, run by APAV (a victim support association), helps victims of internet crime on the free line 800 21 90 90 (weekdays, 8 am to 11 pm), and confidential reporting of illegal content, at cibercrime.apav.pt/index.php/linha-internet-segura (in Portuguese).
• CNCS (the National Cybersecurity Centre): alerts about scams in progress and incident reporting, at cncs.gov.pt.
• On the platform: use the "Report" button on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or YouTube, on the ad or the fake profile.

This is how it looks on 6 October 2026; your screen may differ. If a number or address stops working, search for the organisation's name.

Fake intimate images

Today there are programs that "undress" an ordinary photo or put someone's face into a sexual video. It is a serious assault, and it happens at school too.

When it involves minors, it is a serious crime, even if the image is fake. With adults, sharing these images without consent may also be a crime: the Portuguese Penal Code covers this in several articles, and the police or a lawyer can tell you which applies.

In the EU, Directive (EU) 2024/1385, on violence against women and domestic violence, requires Member States to criminalise producing or manipulating images or videos that make it look as if a person is engaged in sexually explicit activities and then making them accessible to the public by digital means, without that person's consent, where this is likely to cause them serious harm (Article 5(1)(b)). Countries have until 14 June 2027 to make it law. In practice: this is a matter for the police, not something to "ignore".

What to do: do not share it, not even to "warn" someone. Note where the image appeared: the page address, the profile name, the messages and the dates; for an adult victim, dated screenshots also help. If the victim is a minor, never copy, keep or forward the image, not even for the police: having or passing it on may itself be a crime. Note where it is and let the police collect it. Report it to the police and the Linha Internet Segura, and ask the platform to remove it. It is never the victim's fault.

This is not legal advice.

Exercise: train your eye and agree the plan

AI can also help you defend yourself. Use a suspicious message you have received, without your details and without clicking the link.

I think this message is a scam. List the scam signs you see in it, one by one, and tell me what to do next. Do not open any link. Message: [paste the message here, without your details]