The keys to combating deepfakes and digital fraud

Imagine scrolling through your social media feed when something stops you cold. It’s your favorite celebrity making an emotional confession about an inappropriate relationship. Without thinking, you click on the juicy “read more” button. But here’s the thing: do you really know who’s giving you this story and where your browser takes you when you click?

We live in a time where synthetic content (like deepfakescloned voices, fake images) and lies spread faster than a wildfire in California. And even though most people know that the internet is full of digital scams, our cognitive abilities often conspire against us, turning our minds into the trusted accomplice of a deceptionologist.

The Four Horsemen of Digital Fraud
Let’s meet the main antagonists, those who aim to alter our perception of reality and hijack our rational thinking:

1. The confirmation crusade (confirmation bias):
This smooth operator serves up exactly what you want to hear, making you fall in love with stories that align with your biases, preferences or beliefs. Remember the time your uncle shared that article about chocolate curing all human ills? For a moment, you wanted to believe it. This was the confirmation crusader, feeding your sweet tooth with pleasant facts.

2. Emotional Storm (Emotional Triggers):
The emotional storm turns each scroll into an emotional rollercoaster. She’s the reason you wake up in those midnight hours scribbling in the comments section, making your heart race and your palms sweat. A drama queen who doesn’t care about facts, storm wants to provoke you to react, click and share.

3. The digital naïf (Ignorance and digital illiteracy):
Technology is evolving so quickly that most people struggle to keep up. Moreover, deepfakes become like this hyper-realistic and widespread that it became very difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. The digital naïf is the vampire lurking in the dark, luring us deeper into the world of fabrication and deception, feeding on our confusion and struggle to keep up with evolving technology.

4. The Sower of Discord (Polarization and Mistrust):
This insidious character is a mastermind of manipulation, capable of turning molehills of disagreement into mountains of discord. This is why family dinners have become such an ideological battleground that we can’t talk about politics without feeling like we’re navigating a minefield.

It all boils down to money and lies
Every one of us is at the heart of scammers and misinformation artists, weaving webs of deception, trying to rip off our money or influence our thoughts, opinions and worldviews. There is a model from the field of counterterrorism that fits this surprisingly well. It’s called Model 3Nand describes how scammers and propagandists target people. 3N stands for Needs, Narratives and Networks.

● Need: This type of deception often exploits basic human needs for safety, belonging, understanding, or validation. For example, a sudden phishing email from your bank asking you to confirm an unauthorized transaction can target your sense of safety and belonging.

● Narratives: Scammers create compelling stories that appeal to our beliefs and emotions. They are hard to resist, even if they are not actually grounded. For example, your CEO unexpectedly contacts you via Zoom, asking you to make an urgent bank transfer.

● Networks: Misinformation and deception are spread across networks, exploiting our trust and connections against us. When people we trust share fake news, phishing websites, and malicious apps, we’re all the more likely to assume they’re credible and trustworthy.

Managing the growing risks of digital manipulation and fraud
Bad actors usually look for the path of least resistance to get what they want. Overcoming technical defenses is difficult. The easiest way for a hacker to succeed is to trick a victim into giving up sensitive information, credentials or access.

Organizations must make employees aware of these risks and constantly remind them to check suspicious materials or contacts, practice critical thinking, and not allow runaway emotions to interfere with sound judgment. Here are some best practices to promote:

Evaluate before boosting: Investigate the source of the information. Is it believable? Can you find the same information from other reputable sources? In the world of disinformation, accuracy is your friend.

Keeps emotions under control: If a particular piece of content, email, or message causes a sense of urgency, anxiety, nervousness, or uncertainty, that’s your cue to pause and review. Ask yourself, is this information designed to manipulate or exploit my feelings?

Don’t get involved, report: Be careful what you click, share and interact with online. If you see misinformation, report it to your social media platform and security team. Do not comment or engage as this only feeds the beast and amplifies its reach.

Embrace your role as a digital hero: Recognize your power to protect your organization and network of friends and family from threats such as social engineeringphishing and ransomware. You’re either gun shy or trigger happy. Select the most prudent behavior.

Combating the four horsemen of digital fraud requires organizations to empower users through consistent education and training; it also means playing an active and engaged role in building a community of digital truth-seekers, where each member does their part to transform the internet ecosystem from a trash fire to a well-tended garden.