HICPR: AI's (Perplexity) Guide to dealing with AI-enhanced fraud and scams: General, Christian, Muslim and "Sernior Citizen" approaches

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

AI's (Perplexity) Guide to dealing with AI-enhanced fraud and scams: General, Christian, Muslim and "Sernior Citizen" approaches

THE PROBLEM: In about a year moving from Canada to the US we were

Ripped off by a new car dealer on warranties
Denied funds by a bank unless we come back to Canada in person,
Got dissed on complaints by three online companies,
Had credit cards compromised twice.
Along with a series of AI-based dangerous fraud attempts as I applied for work

Clearly, we needed a little help with protecting our online life and identities, other than what was provided by our financial institutions and VPNs. Also, had we been able to afford lawyer(s) . . . who knows . . . !

THE PLAN: Have decided to become part of the solution, not just for us, but for my friends and associates who don't have the time or resources to put together a feasible plan for themselves. (Check with me, wracton@gmail.com) for more on that!)

Clker.com

ASK THE DRAGON: So, I asked AI for some thoughts on how to best deal with all the above and beyond. What follows is basically Perplexity AI's respnnse with my added comments in italics. The sources Perplexity took material from are, all things considered, not bad, although the focus was on more advice rather thatn evidence-based protocols and "rules," and many are relatively "light weight." Nonetheless, the general perspectives seem to be relatively consistent. And, as always, AI "sins" more by omission than by commission!

Perplexity AI begins here:

Worldview and perspectives:

Understanding your worldview—what you believe about people, institutions, money, truth, and technology—matters because it quietly shapes how much you trust others, how quickly you act under pressure, and how you interpret messages and offers. If your assumptions were formed in an era of handshake deals, stable institutions, and slower change, they can make it harder to recognize how different today’s AI‑driven, high‑speed fraud environment really is. (gotzero +2)

In addition to the General set of procedures here, directed toward a family application, there are

(a) a Christian perspective

(b) a Muslim perspective

THE QUESTION/PROMPT: How can I best protect my family, resources and identity today, especially with the increasing threat of AI-generated fraud and deep fakes?

THE General GUIDE: Procedures

"The most effective protection in 2025 is a layered strategy: lock down your accounts and devices, sharply upgrade how your family verifies “urgent” requests, and minimize exploitable personal data online. This reduces the risk from AI driven scams, deepfakes, and traditional identity theft at the same time. (acrisure+4)

Biggest AI driven threats now

AI makes phishing and social engineering messages highly personalized, including realistic emails, texts, and websites that mimic banks, brokerages, and government agencies. (norton+1)
Deepfakes and voice cloning are being used for “grandparent” scams, fake kidnapping/extortion calls, and CEO style payment requests, where a cloned voice or video urges urgent action. (jpmorgan+1)
Deepfake video and face/voice spoofing can bypass some basic biometric and video ID checks, feeding both classic identity theft and fraudulent benefit or loan applications. (fcnb+1)

Lock down accounts and devices

Enable multi factor authentication (MFA) on every important account (email, banking, brokerage, password manager, government logins), using an authenticator app or hardware key rather than SMS wherever possible. (hefcu+1)
Use a reputable password manager and make all passwords long, unique, and randomly generated; this sharply reduces reuse based account takeovers. (cloudeagle+1)
Keep operating systems, browsers, and security software fully updated and use a modern security suite that includes phishing and malicious site blocking. (hefcu+1)

Defend against deepfakes and social engineering

Establish family verification protocols: a shared passphrase or question that must be used on any urgent money or data request by phone, text, or video, even if the voice/face seems familiar. (aba+1)
For any out of pattern request (wire transfer, gift cards, changing banking info), always verify through an independent channel: hang up and call back on a known number or in person if feasible. (acrisure+1)
Train family members to slow down when confronted with emotional urgency (crisis, law enforcement threats, “act now or lose everything”) and treat that urgency itself as a red flag.cybersecurity. (yale+1)

Reduce identity exposure and monitor for misuse

Limit public sharing of birth dates, addresses, high resolution photos, and voice/video clips that make cloning easier; tighten social media privacy settings to restrict data scraping. (proof+1)
Turn on bank, credit card, and brokerage alerts for new payees, large transfers, logins from new devices, and card not present transactions; many institutions now use AI to flag anomalous activity in real time. (mastercard+1)
Use an identity monitoring / dark web alert service (from a bank, insurer, or specialist provider) that watches for breached credentials and new account fraud in your name. (id+1)

Concrete next steps for your situation

Prioritize your “crown jewels”: primary email, tax SSA/IRS accounts, bank/brokerage, and password manager; add app based MFA and review recovery options on each this week. (cloudeagle+1)
Run a quick “family safety briefing” (spouse, adult children, key contacts) to set a code phrase, document the callback numbers you trust, and agree that no one moves money on the basis of a single urgent message or call. (aba+1)
Ask your financial institutions and any identity protection provider you use which AI enhanced fraud detection and alert tools they already offer, and enable the most conservative settings that still fit your lifestyle. (id+1)

If you share a bit about which banks/brokerages and identity protection tools you already use, a custom checklist can be created that fits your exact accounts and your family’s tech comfort level."

(My) Summary/Comments:

A. Use multi-factor authentication system
B. Use a password manager
C. Use independent channels in verifying requests and queries
D. Turn on alerts (banks, credit cards, etc.)
E. Use an identity monitoring service with dark web alert functions
F. Other recommended actions (not mentioned above)
   a. Be part of a team, if possible, or at least have one trusted connection to consult with.
   b. Have legal consultation and backup available when necessary
   c. Have both eCopies and hardcopies securely filed.
   d. Have updated wills and key connections/beneficiaries oriented to their respective roles.
   e. Have or at least know a good tax accountant.
   f. Continually take training/orientation courses—on most anything!
   g. Be at least a competent (not necessarily enthusiastic), informed user of AI!

Sources

1. https://www.acrisure.com/blog/ai-deepfake-scams-2025-guide

2. https://www.hefcu.com/news/ai-fraud-and-how-to-protect-yourself

3. https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/top-5-ai-and-deepfakes-2025

4. https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/stories/2025/cybersecurity-2025-year-in-review.html

5. https://www.fcnb.ca/en/guides/protecting-yourself-from-ai-and-deepfake-scams

6. https://sift.com/blog/how-ai-is-fueling-online-fraud-in-2025-and-what-businesses-can-do-about-it/

7. https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/fraud/fraud-protection/ai-scams-deep-fakes-impersonations-oh-my

8. https://network.id.me/article/fighting-the-new-face-of-identity-theft/

9. https://www.techprescient.com/identity-security/multi-factor-authentication-mfa/

10. https://www.cloudeagle.ai/blogs/identity-management-best-practices

11. https://www.aba.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/aba-foundation-and-fbi-joint-infographic-on-deepfake-scams

12. https://cybersecurity.yale.edu/monthly-tip/july-2025

13. https://www.credithuman.com/building-slack/what-financial-fraud-really-is-and-five-ways-to-protect-yourself

14. https://www.proof.com/blog/deepfake-scams-how-to-spot-them

15. https://www.iddataweb.com/ai-fraud-detection/

16. https://efraudprevention.com/security/Prevent_deepfake_fraud_attacks.html

17. https://securityscorecard.com/blog/iam-in-2025-identity-and-access-management-best-practices/

18. https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2025/07/02/mfa-made-easy-8-best-practices-for-seamless-authentication-journeys

19. https://alsafarpartners.com/blog/legal-articles-and-judgements-4/how-to-protect-yourself-from-ai-scams-in-2025-344

20. https://www.infisign.ai/blog/multi-factor-authentication-mfa-best-practices

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What is haptic pronunciation teaching?

Basically, it is using gesture, touch and movement to teach pronunciation of English (or any language). What makes this method unique is that it is based on controlled and systematic use of gesture in doing that. (Often the problem with gesture use in language learning is that it can be "crazy" or random or intimidating or inconsistent, or not well-developed and tied to clear outcomes.)

The earlier "Essential Haptic-integrated English Pronunciation (EHIEP) approach," now KINETIK, does a better job of enhancing presentation, modelling, feedback and correction. The method is simple and easy to follow. Once a 30-minute module is finished, teacher and students have a set of techniques to use in class anytime a pronunciation problem or opportunity comes up!

Haptic Preliminaries

I often begin workshops or papers with the comment that in about 40 years in the field I have had just one idea: that the systematic use of body movement is essential to effective and efficient pronunciation instruction. That has never been more relevant than today, with the general deemphasis on pronunciation and introduction of technology into the field. From both perspectives, the "haptic" perspective approach developed here offers great promise. I can at least promise you a "moving" experience!

What is the KINETIK Method?

KINETIK is the name of the new v6.0 haptic pronunciation teaching system. About six years earlier we were using the acronym, "Haptic Integrated Pronunciation for Other/Extended Circle English Speakers" (HIPOECES)--still there in the url of this blog!

Haptic-integrated clinical pronunciation is:

A different way to learn pronunciation, based in part on Arthur Lessac’s notion of “Training the body first.” It is also based on research in the use of movement and touch in learning and training. It:

Looks somewhat like a combination of aerobics, sign language and Taichi

Provides a basic foundation for continued, self-directed pronunciation learning and classroom instruction

Designed for use by relatively untrained teachers but appropriate for all teachers (and learners) of all levels

Focuses on pronunciation used in conversation (not all words in English)

Is a highly “brain-and-body-friendly” system that promotes efficient learning of integrated tasks in general

Designed to promote integrated classroom pronunciation instruction and enable integration of conscious pronunciation work into spontaneous speaking.

Introduction

This blog was formerly named: HIPoeces (pronounced 'hI-pƏ-cIs), basically an approach to teaching English pronunciation to speakers of "outer and expanding" circle Englishes (including that population commonly termed: non-native speakers) but also compatible with the use of local models other than simply Standard" American" or RP. Using Kachru's "Inner, expanding and outer circles" model to characterize the breadth of Englishes and speakers of those, HIPoeces (now HICP) systems focus on developing haptically-centered pedagogical models and methods which can be adapted for teaching the pronunciation of various Englishes as they are spoken and taught by "owners" of those varieties.

In theory, the underlying principles can be applied to teaching the sound system of any language. Most language instructors intuitively use a great deal of movement and tactile anchoring in the classroom. The essential question is how to use that resource systematically, especially so that those learners who are less "haptic" in nature are also "moved" by the method.

Simply put, the HICP model/method is based on the idea of speaking along with arm and hand movement, not all that different from that used in sign languages. Most movement patterns are taken from either typical classroom pronunciation instruction practice or from related fields, such as psychotherapy or sports.

Most blog posts link to research that relates to the general HICP model, that is studies dealing with the role of gesture, touch, movement, learning modalities, learning in output, use of the visual field in learning, and experiential learning.

DEFINITIONS:

"Haptic" techniques- procedures that involve both movement and touch (Obvious examples include clapping hands, tapping feet, or holding an object and shaking it to the rhythm of a poem.)

"HICP techniques" - procedures that are haptic and also explicitly coordinated with phonological structures and/or discourse prosody (For example, clapping hands on primary stressed syllables in multi-syllable words, or doing a dance step on key words in conversational turns.)

"Haptic integration"- The haptic dimension probably functions as much to anchor visual and auditory material as it does to assist the learner in getting the "felt sense" of the sound or sound process. Lack of integration into spontaneous speech being such a serious potential shortcoming of instruction, haptic engagement seems a promising bridge to more accurate fluency.

"Visual field" - in HICP extensive use is made of the visual field in front of the learner. (For example, a modified version of the IPA vowel chart is anchored haptically in the imagination of the learner, directly in front of the upper body, and used for several purposes throughout the program.)

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

AI's (Perplexity) Guide to dealing with AI-enhanced fraud and scams: General, Christian, Muslim and "Sernior Citizen" approaches

Worldview and perspectives:

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