Modern Technology: Not Just Protecting Your Interests!
By @iskatel007 — September 14, 2019
Good evening, colleagues! Let’s talk about modern technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI). We live in a fascinating era where technology is advancing at an incredible pace. Every new development can be used both to protect our safety and, unfortunately, against us. Below, I want to clearly demonstrate two sides of how AI is being used in our present day.
Artificial Intelligence Helps Solve a Murder
Here’s how it started: According to police in China’s Fujian province, on the evening of April 11, a man named Zhang had an argument with his girlfriend over money. The fight escalated, and in a fit of rage, he strangled her. Afterwards, he took her smartphone and tried to access her Money Station banking app to steal $4,200—the very money they had argued about.
The app required facial recognition for authorization. Thinking quickly, the man held his victim’s lifeless, bruised face up to the camera. To his surprise, the app didn’t work—successful login required the user to blink, and the woman’s face remained motionless.
Detecting the unmoving face, the AI system flagged the attempt and alerted bank staff to review the situation. The employees noticed bruises and a suspicious mark on her neck, consistent with strangulation. Realizing something was wrong, they used geolocation to find her. Police tracked down the suspect just as he was attempting to burn the woman’s body. It was later discovered that, in addition to trying to steal money, the man had tried to cover his tracks by using her phone to message her employer and parents, pretending she was going on vacation. The man is now awaiting trial, though the court date has not yet been set.
AI Used for Financial Fraud
An interesting case of fraud was reported in the UK, where cybercriminals used AI to mimic the voice of a company CEO and trick an employee into transferring $230,000.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a senior employee at a British energy company believed he was speaking with his boss—the CEO of the parent company in Germany. The caller, posing as the CEO, urgently requested a funds transfer to a Hungarian supplier, insisting it had to be done within the hour. Law enforcement and AI experts concluded that the scammers used artificial intelligence to create a highly convincing imitation of the CEO’s voice, including his German accent and speech patterns. The criminals’ identities remain unknown, but it’s clear they used specialized software to pull off the scam.
Always stay vigilant, and remember: you can’t always trust what you see or hear.
Article by:
@iskatel007
Private Detective / Security Analyst / Information Security Specialist
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