Safety advocates are raising awareness about the use of artificial intelligence in online scams. Arizona residents are among the most frequently scammed in the U.S. and the issue is particularly severe for seniors.

More than three-quarters of Americans reported being the intended victims of cyberfraud in 2025, according to the National Council on Aging. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported nearly 10,000 Arizona seniors reported a collective $344 million in fraud losses in 2025, the fourth highest in the nation.

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Dawn Alexander, Fraud Watch Network specialist for AARP Arizona, said the advent of AI in online and telephone scams has made catching the perpetrators even more tricky and has put Arizona seniors at even greater risk.

"And the way AI works is, they can take samples of your voice, replicate it. They can use AI to create images, which are very hard to tell whether or not they've been created using AI or if they're legitimate," Alexander explained.

A new campaign called United to Stop Online Scams is holding events in seven states, including in Arizona, to educate people about the use of AI in cybercrimes, how to spot them and what to do if they fall victim. Alexander noted the uptick in the use of AI has been especially pernicious for older Arizonans who fall victim to what's known as the "grandparent scam."

"Have you gotten a phone call from your granddaughter saying that they are down in Mexico in jail and they need $5,000 to get out? And they're using their grandchild's voice because they're able to pull samples off of, let's say, social media," Alexander outlined.

In addition to voice cloning, tech experts added AI-generated deepfake videos are making deception faster and more convincing for scammers, both online and on the telephone.