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Here's your monthly fraud newsletter! Read this edition for awareness on a current scam circulating and how to spot AI content online |
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Fraud Newsletter August 2026Amazon Scam WarningSussex and Surrey Police are witnessing an increase in cases where fraudsters are posing as working for Amazon, in order to access the victim’s account or personal bank details. One report stated that the victim had received a telephone call from someone claiming to be from Amazon, informing her of suspicious activity on her amazon account and there was an iPhone added to the basket. She then checked her account and could see the phones in the basket. They told her she had been hacked and asked her to share her screen and share her bank details. The fraudster took £900 from her accounts. These individuals are calling victims, claiming that someone is purchasing expensive items on their Amazon account, and that they wanted to confirm it was them. When the victim states that it is not them making the purchase, the fraudster tells them this means that their account has been hacked and takes the victim through steps to “rectify” this, which usually involves them gaining remote access to their device. Once they have remote access, they can access the victim’s online banking and make transfers, often claiming that are moving their money to a “safe account” which is actually just an account belonging to the fraudster. They may also access the victim’s Amazon account and place orders to themselves. This will often include the victim receiving a one-time passcode (OTP) to their phone and being requested to read this out to the fraudster so that they can gain access to their Amazon account.
Advice: If you receive an unexpected phone call and they ask you to download a remote access app, it will be a scam. Hang up and check your purchase history on your Amazon account for reassurance. If you are still unsure, contact Amazon through the genuine website or app. Never provide anyone with your one-time passcode (OTP) Do not be pressured – fraudsters will create a sense of urgency to convince victims to do what they are asking. Hang up the phone, give yourself time to think, and speak to a friend or family member about it.
How to spot AI content online.You’ve probably seen AI-generated clips on social media - or even convincing impersonations of celebrities, such as Martin Lewis. They might look professional at first glance, but you don’t need to be a tech expert to protect yourself. Instead of hunting for one big mistake, get into the habit of slowing down and looking for several clues. Just as you wouldn’t buy a “designer” watch for £20 from someone in a car park, don’t trust an image or video simply because it looks polished.
Visual clues that something may be AI-generated AI-generated faces often contain tiny imperfections that our brains gloss over: Eyes and shadows may look blocky, blurred, or unnaturally sharp. Hair can appear soft, smudged, or melted into the background — AI struggles to render thousands of individual strands. Skin may look overly smooth, plastic, or airbrushed. Real skin has texture, pores, and subtle imperfections. Lip-sync issues are common in celebrity impersonations — the voice may sound flat or monotone, and the lips don’t quite match the speech. Age inconsistencies such as youthful skin paired with older-looking eyes.
Protecting yourself from impersonation Consider agreeing a simple AI safety word with close family or associates. If criminals impersonate someone you know, they won’t know the word. Whilst it’s tempting to waste a scammer’s time on the phone, it’s safer to hang up immediately. Criminals can now record your voice and attempt to clone it — so the less audio you give them, the better.
Will AI become indistinguishable from reality? People often ask whether AI will “take over” or become impossible to detect. Our answer is simple: look at the video game industry. Even with millions of pounds in investment, huge development teams, and years of work, we still aren’t at a point where video games look truly indistinguishable from real life. AI tools have only milliseconds to generate images and video — so we’re not close to perfect realism yet. The core message: NEVER ASSUME. ALWAYS VERIFY. | ||
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