AI Text Scams: Most Used Attempts & How to Recognize Them
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
AI is on the rise, driving innovation but also increasingly sophisticated and hard-to-detect scams that are costing individuals and businesses billions of dollars.
As technology becomes more advanced and scammers evolve their skills and integrate these technologies, we are seeing a large incline in phishing attempts, extortion, investment schemes, and more. The Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 total complaints in 2025, which is up significantly from 859,532 in 2024.
The first step to ensure you or your business do not fall victim to these scams is awareness. Our team at Sedna delivers practical, scalable cybersecurity solutions by leveraging the latest technologies and addressing the most pressing risks. We are committed to identifying potential vulnerabilities in client systems and strategy, taking steps to ensure data and information is protected.
In this article, we seek to spread awareness about growingly common forms of scams: AI text scams. Learn about the most used attempts by scammers and how to recognize them so that you and your business can safeguard important assets and data.
Scammers Shift From Emails to Texts
When you think of typical phishing scams, you might think of those that appear in your email that request link clicks, sometimes impersonating company executives or family members to try to gain access to funds or other valuable assets. In recent times, there has been an increase of scams being sent out instead as text messages.
These texts typically appear to come from legitimate agencies, employers, and businesses, and the subject matter can range from fake toll charges to job offers. Many of these scams are created with AI and lacking grammatical errors, which has the potential to increase the difficulty of identifying it as indeed a scam.
The power of AI is a great tool for innovation. However, it is also a great tool for scammers and cyber attackers. Deceptive text messages can be produced almost instantly and shaped to sound like they are coming from the real company or person they are impersonating by replicating specific writing styles. AI and machine learning algorithms put together schemes convincing enough to trick even the most perceptive individuals.
Recognizing these scams takes a careful, thoughtful approach.
How to Recognize an AI Scam Text
If you or someone you know receives a text and you are unable to tell if it is a scam or not, there are a few key elements that accompany even the most sophisticated of scams.
Be Cautious About a Sense of Urgency
Scammers prey on the human sense of fear that comes with a timed or otherwise urgent situation. AI-generated scam texts usually create a sense of urgency, using language including, but not limited to: “URGENT,” “time is running out,” and “act immediately.” These phrases are usually accompanied by threats about account security, unpaid balances, traffic violations, and package delivery issues, among others.
What to Do:
Be Mindful: The goal of scammers is to get their victim to make hasty decisions due to a false sense of urgency, and it is important to keep that in mind when receiving a suspicious text message. Think about if the text is expected or not depending on your recent interactions with a company or lack thereof. If it is out of the blue, it is likely suspicious.
Be Patient: Remember to stay calm and act in a thoughtful manner. Prioritize patience to avoid making hasty decisions.
Verify: Always verify any message requesting account action or fund delivery. Contact the supposed sender by other means to check if the message is a real one.
Look for Potential Fake Contact Information
In email scams, cyber attackers would sometimes create fake emails that closely resembled those of real companies, but with slight misspellings. Identifying fake contact information can be more difficult in a text message, but if the sender includes a request to send them an email, it could indeed be a fake one. Phone numbers can sometimes also appear suspicious, sent from an area code that wouldn’t make sense for who the message claims to be coming from.
What to Do:
Look Closely: If the sender includes their email or other link, avoid clicking on it immediately. See if there are any misspellings that would signify a fake site address. For phone numbers, think about the area code it is originating from. Does it make sense for the agency or individual the message seems to be coming from?
Research: A quick internet search can bring up company contact information, which you can then compare to that which is contained in the text message. If you have received texts from the company before, see if you still have the number and compare them. Many times, company texts come from a shortened phone number.
Verify: If the contact information does not match, or you are concerned that maybe it could be coming from another number within the company, it may be a good idea to give them a call or send them an email from their verified information on their website to check if the text is real.
Be Wary of Requests for Sensitive Information
Scammers are trying to access sensitive data and information to access personal or business accounts. If you receive a text asking for a social security number or an account password, chances are it is from a scammer. Combined with a sense of urgency and a convincing phone number, these text messages can be hard to detect as scams right away.
What to Do:
Think First: It is not common for any agency or individual to request social security numbers or passwords over text messages. Take a minute to sit back and think if it even makes sense for you to receive such a request. Always avoid clicking any links or attachments.
Verify: Always use your traditional means of communication with the impersonated individual or company to verify if they have sent any messages asking for sensitive information.
Implement MFA: Take a few minutes to secure your accounts with multi-factor authentication, ensuring you have strong passwords and an extra layer of security in place to protect your accounts and information.
Real-World Examples of AI Text Scams
Here are a few examples of AI text scams that you should be aware of:
Package Delivery Texts
Scammers are using AI to generate convincing text scams, many of which target potential victims right after major shopping events. These may include Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, which bring in an influx of online shoppers expecting packages delivered to their home. Scammers create texts that claim there is a problem with your delivery, a delivery was missed, or that you owe customs or other fees prior to your order being delivered. It is important to remember never to click any links and always verify your order status through verified sites.
Traffic Violation Texts
Several months back, drivers in Louisiana received text scams claiming that recipients had an outstanding traffic violation and must pay the City of New Orleans Municipal Court’s Traffic Division. The message was accompanied by an AI-generated image of a notice that was generated to appear official in order to trick drivers into sending money to scammers via a QR code. The scam preys on the fear that comes with a sense of urgency and something that looks official at first glance. It is important to always question and verify these types of messages before falling victim to a scam.
This type of scam has also affected drivers in Houston, Texas, where people received AI-generated scams containing a photo of a traffic division citation from the Fulton County Traffic Division stating that the individual has a toll or parking violation fine. It presented a deadline, causing receivers of the message to panic, which is what scammers are hoping for. Always report messages like this, and once, again, always verify first.
AI is enabling scammers to make their text messages, emails, and phone calls as convincing as ever. Being aware of these cybersecurity threats is key, and understanding how to detect them is imperative. Remaining patient, remembering to be mindful, and verifying anything remotely suspicious are essential factors when it comes to protecting yourself and your business.
“At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.”
– Jodi Rell, Former Governor of Connecticut
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