Did the president really call me? Watch for AI voter cons, AG says
Someone wants to help you register to vote over the phone.
Do you: (A) Accept; (B) Share the number of a friend who’s not registered; or (C) Hang up?
Hopefully your answer was C because that call was an election scam.
Voter cons have existed for years but this type of crime is intensifying through artificial intelligence technology that can produce realistic but phony images, videos and audio, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul warned Wednesday.
He also released a Voter Misinformation Guide available online.
“As the general election draws nearer, I’m reminding Illinoisans to be vigilant about election misinformation and election-related financial fraud,” Raoul said in a statement.
“Don’t let scammers steal your vote, your identity or your hard-earned dollars. Use reliable sources to educate yourself on your ballot choices and make your plan to vote.”
What was wrong with that helpful phone call?
You can only register to vote in-person, by mail and online at official websites — not over the phone or by text, officials said. Voters can learn more at the Illinois State Board of Elections.
AI election misinformation spirals through robocalls, texts, social media and chatbots, Raoul said. Deceptions can range from donation scams to lies about candidates to false endorsement from celebrities.
This January, thousands of New Hampshire residents received robocalls urging them not to vote in the state’s primary. Instead they should save their votes for the Nov. 5 general election, advised a voice artificially manipulated to sound like President Joe Biden.
New Hampshire authorities filed charges in the case but it’s a cautionary tale.
Here’s some tips to detect what’s real and what’s fabricated from the attorney general’s office.
• Don’t click links in texts and emails that come out of nowhere from unknown sources.
• Be cautious of claims, images and videos that are “incendiary, sensational or surprising” regarding candidates and the election. Check to see if the information is being reported by legitimate news outlets or being shared by the subject of the post or the supposed source of the information.”
• If a video seems suspicious, check for “strange coloring, lighting or shadows. The subject of a deepfake might move unnaturally, and the audio of the voice might not match the person’s mouth movements or facial expressions,” the guide states.
• If a photo looks questionable, check for discrepancies in people’s clothing, appearance, surroundings and blurry spots.
• Report misinformation to the Illinois State Board of Elections at elections.il.gov/VotingAndRegistrationSystems/ElectionSecurity/DisinformationReportingForm.