A few years ago, “do not believe everything you see online” meant dodgy Photoshop. Today, AI can generate convincing photos, clone a voice from seconds of audio, and produce video of real people saying things they never said. You do not need to become a tech expert, but a few habits will keep you ahead of most of it.
The three fakes that matter most
Fake photos. AI image tools create realistic pictures of events that never happened. Common tells: weird hands and fingers, blurry or nonsensical background text, unnaturally smooth skin, inconsistent shadows and lighting, and details that look slightly “off” the longer you stare.
Fake voices. This is the dangerous one for families. Scammers can clone a voice from a short audio clip, sometimes pulled from a social media video, and call pretending to be a family member in trouble. The “grandparent scam” has gone digital: “Mum, I have been in an accident, I need money.”
Fake video. “Deepfakes” of celebrities endorsing scams and fake news footage circulate constantly. Quality varies, but the good ones need more than a glance to detect.
The habits that protect you
For shocking images or posts: before believing or sharing, check whether credible news is reporting it. A massive event that exists only in one viral Facebook post did not happen. Reverse-image-search a suspicious photo (Google Lens makes this easy) to see where it really came from.
For urgent calls from “family”: agree on a family code word now, before you need it. Any “it is me, I am in trouble, send money” call gets verified with the code word or a callback to their real number. Thirty seconds of verification defeats the whole scam. Also remember: urgency plus secrecy (“don’t tell Dad”) plus unusual payment (gift cards, crypto, transfer to a “friend’s account”) equals scam, every time.
For celebrity endorsements: a famous face promoting an investment, crypto scheme, or miracle product in social media ads is a fake until proven otherwise. These are the most common scam ads running in Australia right now.
When your eyes cannot tell, use process
The uncomfortable truth is that the best fakes are getting beyond what eyes and ears can detect. So rely on verification habits instead:
- Verify surprising claims through a second, independent source
- Call back on a number you already trust, not the one that called you
- Never act on urgency; real emergencies survive a five-minute delay for verification
- Be extra careful with anything asking for money, passwords, or personal details
And a quieter worry: your own voice and photos
You do not need to stop sharing family videos, but it is worth knowing that public posts can feed voice-cloning. Keeping social accounts private (friends-only) limits the raw material scammers can grab.
The golden rule, unchanged
Technology changes; human nature does not. Every scam still ends the same way: pressure, urgency, and a request for money or information. The fake may be cleverer, but the ending gives it away every time.
