L015 · Staying safe · 2 min · Interactive
Spot AI-powered scams
Scammers now use AI to write perfect messages, so good grammar is no longer a sign that a message is real.
01 · The idea
Old scam emails were full of spelling mistakes. Now AI writes clean, friendly, personal messages in any language, at huge scale.
Common tricks: a fake delivery text with a link, a bank warning asking you to log in, a job offer that pays too well, or a message from your boss asking you to buy gift cards. This is called phishing.
Look for the pressure, not the grammar. Urgency ("in 30 minutes"), secrecy ("don't tell anyone"), and unusual payment (gift cards, crypto, a new bank account) are the real red flags.
Never use the link or number in the message. Open the official app or call a number you already know. Try it below: real or scam?
02 · Try the toy
Scam or legit?
Read each message as if it just arrived on your phone. Decide, then see the red flags.
Text message+44 7700 900412
Your parcel is on hold: unpaid customs fee of $1.99. Pay within 24 hours or it will be returned: parcel-redelivery-help.com
03 · Do it now
04 · Quick check
Words in this lesson
See also
L111Staying safe · 2 min
When a relative's voice is a copy
A few seconds of your child's or parent's voice from a video is enough for AI to make a convincing copy, so a familiar voice on the phone proves nothing by itself.
L150Staying safe · 2 min
Staying calm under pressure: the scam playbook
Nearly every scam follows the same playbook of panic, rush, secrecy and a strange payment, so learning to slow down beats them all.
L304Staying safe · 3 min
Spot AI investment scams
Scammers now dress up old tricks with words like "AI trading bot" and fake celebrity videos, and the warning signs are the same as ever.
L112Staying safe · 2 min
Deepfake video calls
A short, blurry video call where a friend's face asks to borrow money can be a live AI fake, so seeing the face is no longer enough.