FBI Says ‘Take a Beat’ — And Don’t Trust AI Search for Numbers

It’s been a busy year staying on top of the latest scams and tactics used against unsuspecting victims. We’ve seen fake Apple account recovery messages that attempt to trick users into sharing their passwords, fake Amazon Prime Video invoices that prompt recipients to call a fraudulent account-renewal number to share credit card information, fake messages from “tech support”, and fake toll scam texts also targeting credit card information. The one thing all of these rackets have in common is that they are relying on a victim’s reaction to a false sense of urgency.

The FBI recently launched a holiday campaign to remind potential targets to “take a beat.” This message seeks to remind everyone not to panic when they receive a text, email, or call requiring the immediate sharing of sensitive information or providing access to sensitive accounts.

Instead of reacting in the moment, “take a beat,” or a breath, to understand precisely what’s going on. Verify the phone numbers you’re being asked to call or text, look closely at the email content and the sender’s domain. Cross-check that information against the information on the back of your credit card or on your bank’s or other service provider’s website. Slow down. Take your time and talk to friends and family if you need a second opinion.

However, even when taking the time to check things out, there’s another critical factor here to watch out for. As people more commonly turn to search engines or AI like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Perplexity to find contact information, we’re also learning that those results shouldn’t always be trusted. As reported by Forbes, researchers at Aurascape Aura Labs recently uncovered what they believe “is the first real-world campaign where attackers systematically manipulate public web content so that large language model (LLM)-powered systems… recommend scam “customer support” phone numbers as if they were official.”

These researchers found two examples. A Perplexity query asking “the official Emirates Airlines reservation number” returned an answer that included a fraudulent call-center scam number. A similar query for British Airways reservations returned a fraudulent US reservation number.

Google’s AI Overview Feature is also susceptible to returning inaccurate and dangerous information. A Google search for “Emirates airlines phone number to make reservation and steps in US,” delivered results including multiple fraudulent call-center numbers “as if they were legitimate Emirates customer service lines” in the AI Overview.

So, if an email, text, or phone call sets off your spidey-senses, stay calm. Please don’t panic or rush to provide the information they’re asking for. Always verify all contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, before taking any action.

Just as importantly, use only trusted resources, such as your bank or service provider’s website or the information on the back of your credit card, as verification. If you’re still unsure, take your time and ask for help. It’s a busy and stressful time of year for everyone, and these scammers will be trying to take advantage of that to catch you with your guard down. Don’t let them.