LAS (KLAS) — An expert advises Las Vegas valley residents to take precautions before clicking on links that may potentially be phishing emails.

Cybersecurity consulting expert David Brauchler clarified a common misconception about AI, noting that many people fear superintelligence taking over the world. However, he emphasized that the more pressing risk with AI today lies in its potential to create misleading and spam content.

Now with AI, he adds It’s that much faster for the scammers to make revisions and changes.

“So if I wanted to go out and make a fake version of Amazon I’m no longer constrained by my need to check everything and make sure my codes are up to date, rather I can manage all of that, including fake interactions using AI,” Brauchler said.

Scammers try to rush people into purchasing “limited-time offers” creating a sense of urgency and pressuring one into acting quickly without proper verification.

Scams also include phishing emails that replicate the branding of legitimate companies, luring people to click malicious links, as well as counterfeit discount offers; scammers make it difficult to distinguish fake promotions from real ones.

“Sometimes they can use AI to scan your social media profiles and build a targeted attack customized for you,” Brauchler said.

Ultimately, Brauchler said that there are strategies one can use to protect themselves and their money using a password manager for starters.

“Beyond that, I recommend two-factor authentication whenever possible, if it’s a website you don’t have an account on and you don’t shop at, don’t click the link it sent you. But instead, look up the name of the website in a search engine. Use those results instead,” Brauchler said.

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