Modern technological advancement has led to more significant improvements in engaging consumers through the use of chatbots. But today, this technology is abused by the miscreants in the other way that I am explaining below. Organized cybercrime today involves the use of fake chatbot which imitates original organizations with an aim of gaining access to organizations’ secrets, including information and also perform phishing con. It is important to know them so as to safeguard one’s self from falling prey when surfing the internet. In this article, they depict how scammers use chatbots, the type of cons they conduct, and the ways on how one can avoid falling prey to the scammers.

Fake Customer Support Scams

Scammers make fake chatbots that pretend to be representatives of popular companies and brands. These bots involve the user submitting his or her personal or financial details under the pretext of addressing a concern. Once the data is obtained, hackers use it to impersonate the identity of the client or perform fraudulent transactions. To make sure a chatbot is genuine, a person should check it through the official site of the respective company and then proceed with the details.

Phishing Through Chatbot Links

Sophisticated hackers are using fake links within chatbot discussions that impersonate a login page. These are clones of actual sites and thus entice the victims to provide their credentials. When passed, he forwards it to the scammer and with immediate effect the data is received by the scammer. Beware of spam with the list of instructions to click a link as soon as possible. By hovering the mouse over the links you can verify their correctness, and in any case, do not input sensitive information into any page.

Social Engineering via Chatbots

Hackers involve targeting people’s feelings to make them believe that someone is genuinely interested in them or just online data or a police officer. They establish rapport before seeking clients money or any other crucial information. It is for this reason that most of them copy the human behavior to the detail thus making them difficult to distinguish from the real users. Be wary of anyone that begins talking to you online and immediately afterwards asks for a request or something personal.

Malware Distribution via Chatbots

Some chatbots opt to spread malware in the form of files or through an update in the chat application. It is operational once it is downloaded into the device; in enabling the hackers to retrieve information or take control of the device. Do not accept files from sources you do not know or trust; the subject matter should always be scanned for viruses.

Fake Giveaways & Lottery Scams

Scam bots typically pose as agents informing people that they have won the lottery or received an exceptionally special offer and require the payment to claim the condoned item. In this case, the victims lose money but they do not get any benefits in return for their compliance. Remember that no scam ever asks for a fee prior to giveaways. In any case the receipt of such messages should always be confirmed through the official office.

Conclusion

With advancement in artificial intelligence of chatbots there are equally higher risks associated with the scams that these chatbots have to face. The cybercriminals employ the use of fake customer support, phishing links, social engineering, malware, fake giveaways, amongst other strategies. Abbreviate it as – stay alert especially when using the internet, do not click on strange links and do not trust everything that is provided to you. As such, do not relax your guards and educate yourself on the dangers of the online world as well as adopt the best practices to avoid being a victim to these chatbot frauds. Stay alert, stay safe!