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AI can help scammers imitate a familiar voice, create convincing fake documents, or tailor a phishing message. But the money usually moves because a person is persuaded to reveal credentials or approve a payment—not because AI independently reaches into a bank account. That distinction matters: it explains both what consumers can do and why financial institutions are adding verification and review steps. This article focuses on the U.S.; the available figures do not establish a comprehensive total for losses caused by AI.
How can AI put your money at risk?
Generative AI can make familiar fraud more convincing and easier to scale. It can help produce polished phishing messages and scam scripts, forge or alter identity documents, and imitate a person’s voice or appearance in audio and video. A convincing impersonation may make an urgent request seem authentic, but it is not proof that the request came from the person or institution it claims to represent.
FinCEN’s November 2024 alert described increased suspicious activity reporting involving suspected deepfake media, particularly fraudulent identity documents used in attempts to get around identity checks. That is evidence that financial institutions are encountering these tactics; it does not mean every scam uses AI or establish how much money AI-enabled fraud has cost consumers.
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The payment often still needs a person’s cooperation
In many payment scams, the victim is manipulated into sending money, changing payment details, sharing a password, or approving an authentication prompt. The payment may be processed as an instruction from the legitimate account holder even though the person was deceived about who would receive the money or why it was needed. That makes a convincing impersonation dangerous without making the underlying transfer technically unauthorized.
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In a 2024 case discussed by Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr in 2025, an employee was deceived by a deepfake video meeting and transferred $25 million to thieves. The case illustrates why a video call is not independent identity verification. It is one reported incident, not a typical loss amount.
What do the reported fraud figures actually show?
These figures measure different things. None should be treated as an estimate of AI-caused losses.
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| Figure | What it measures | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| $3.31 billion in 2022; $4.57 billion in 2023 | Reported losses from fake investment opportunity scams | FBI figures cited by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in its 2024 report; complaint-reported losses for this scam type, not all fraud or AI-attributed losses. |
| 23% | Surveyed institutions reporting account takeover by authorized parties | Federal Reserve Financial Services survey of 400+ risk professionals at institutions using its services, conducted in Q4 2025 and reported in 2026. This is an institutional survey result, not a consumer incidence rate or an AI-attributed share. |
| 75% | Surveyed institutions reporting debit-card fraud attempts | The same Federal Reserve Financial Services survey. This is not the share of consumers affected and does not identify what portion, if any, involved AI. |
| $25 million | A loss in a reported deepfake-video payment fraud case | The Arup case discussed by Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr in 2025; an individual case, not a typical exposure or a population-level estimate. |
The GAO says there is no complete estimate of overall losses from fraudulently induced payments. Its investment-scam figures cover one category of complaints, while the Federal Reserve survey measures reports from institutions about fraud trends. They cannot be combined into a single measure of AI’s financial impact.
Can a bank call, voice message, or video prove who is contacting you?
No. A familiar-sounding voice, a recognizable face, a caller ID display, or a convincing email can all be copied, spoofed, or manipulated. Treat them as a reason to verify—not as proof of identity—especially when the contact asks you to move money, disclose credentials, install software, or keep the request secret.
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Verify through a separate route
End the unexpected interaction and contact the institution using a route you already trust: for example, the number printed on your bank card or the contact option in its official app. Do not use a phone number, link, or callback instructions supplied in the message you are checking. For a request from a family member or colleague, contact them through a previously known number or another established channel.
Pause when the request is urgent or changes payment details
Pressure to act immediately, keep a transfer secret, bypass normal approval, or use new payment instructions is a reason to slow down. Confirm the recipient and the purpose independently before approving anything. Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr put the point plainly in an April 17, 2025 speech: “When it comes to protecting our money, we ought to expect and appreciate a little friction.”
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Will your bank refund money you sent to a scammer?
Not necessarily. The GAO says federal law generally does not require a financial institution to reimburse a consumer who personally authorized a payment after being manipulated into sending it. That situation differs from an unauthorized account transaction, which can involve different protections. Whether a particular claim qualifies for recovery depends on the circumstances; this general distinction is not a determination of an individual case, and recovering a fraudulently induced payment can be difficult.
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If you suspect you have sent money to a scammer or exposed your account, contact your financial institution promptly. Ask it to secure the account and advise whether it can attempt to stop or recover the transfer. Do not assume that a transfer can be reversed or that reimbursement is guaranteed.
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What are banks and finance leaders doing about AI-enabled fraud?
The response is layered, not a search for one detector that can identify every deepfake. Federal Reserve guidance describes controls that verify the customer and payment, monitor account activity, and create a chance for staff to review suspicious transactions.
Verify identity and scrutinize the payment
- Use identity checks and multi-factor authentication to make account access harder to take over.
- Monitor accounts and review recipient details, unusual activity, and transactions that warrant extra scrutiny.
- Build review time into suspicious or high-risk transfers rather than relying only on a fast, automated approval.
Train staff and share threat information
Employees need to recognize impersonation attempts, follow verification procedures, and know when to escalate a payment request. Institutions can also share information about threats so that warning signs seen by one organization can inform others. FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said in a November 13, 2024 release that financial institutions’ vigilance and reporting of related suspicious activity can help safeguard the financial system and protect people from abuse of deepfake tools.
Use AI as an additional signal, with governance
AI-assisted analysis can help identify anomalies across transaction records and information in text, audio, or images. Federal Reserve Financial Services describes these capabilities as additions to existing rules and predictive tools—not replacements for them or guarantees that a scam will be detected. Institutions also need policies for data privacy, model transparency, misuse, escalation, and staff training.
The U.S. Treasury’s 2024 financial-services AI report calls for collaboration, AI-specific information sharing, regulatory coordination, and review of AI use cases for compliance with existing laws. It also identifies privacy, bias, and third-party-provider risks that financial leaders need to address. A control that flags unusual activity is only useful if the institution can govern the system and decide how people should respond to its alerts.
What should you do before acting on a financial request?
- Stop and assess the request. Be especially cautious if it is unexpected, urgent, secret, or asks you to change payment details.
- Verify the person and the request separately. Use a trusted number or official app you already have, not the contact details or link in the message.
- Check the recipient and amount. Confirm payment instructions through an independent channel before authorizing a transfer.
- Protect account access. Turn on multi-factor authentication where available. A hardware security key may be an option if your institution supports it; check compatibility first.
- Contact your institution quickly if something may be wrong. Report a suspected scam, exposed credentials, or questionable transfer and follow its instructions to secure the account.
AI can make a lie sound or look more credible, but a voice or video is not verification. Independent confirmation and a pause before authorizing a transfer remain practical defenses, while banks’ layered controls can add checks without making any system infallible.
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