As technology advances, sometimes more quickly than we can keep up with, so does its use in running scams. Scammers are finding increasingly sophisticated ways to use familiar forms of communication to make their schemes more convincing. From calls that sound like a family member in distress, to text messages that seem like wrong numbers, we’ll cover a number of common scams, including one that happened to a Brandon resident a couple of weeks ago.

What started as a simple Facebook Marketplace transaction took a quick turn. Joe (not his real name) was selling an item on Facebook when someone contacted him about purchasing it. The buyer offered to send the money via Venmo, a popular phone app for quickly sending money to friends and family. But he soon claimed there was an issue sending the money and that he needed to “verify” his Venmo business account by sending Joe $500. Joe could then return the money less the cost of the item.

So what’s the scam? The $500 comes from a stolen credit card. If Joe returns the money, it goes back to the scammer’s Venmo account and can then be transferred to a bank account. The card’s actual owner sees the charge and files a chargeback. The money is then clawed back from Joe’s bank account, because he was the one who received the money, leaving Joe $1,000 poorer.

Thankfully, Joe realized there was something amiss in this conversation and cut off communication with the scammer before losing any money.

Scams like this are responsible for enormous losses every year. A 2025 report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center links AI-related scams to 22,364 complaints and nearly $893 million in losses reported by Americans. In Vermont alone, $26,567,033 was stolen in various types of scams, with $8.5 million of that lost by people ages 60 and up.

This type of scam can run through PayPal or other similar money-sending apps. Anyone sending money through them does not need to send extra funds to verify an account. Accounts are verified (as much as they can be) before you can use them. Scammers often have all of the information they need to open up fraudulent accounts.

“Mom, I’ve been arrested”...

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used, including in calls that appear to come from a number that you know (like a family member). The voice sounds like your son or daughter, crying, scared, and they’ve been arrested or kidnapped. They need money right away. You panic because it’s their voice.

Except it isn’t. The phone number is spoofed — meaning your phone thinks it’s your child’s number, but it’s only in appearance. The voice? Simulated by AI. How do they get those voices? A call that your family member answered at some point was also a scam, their voice was recorded and fed into an AI. You can protect yourself from this by having a safe word that you have agreed upon for use in emergencies. You can put the call on hold to “get the money” and call the person from another phone to confirm they’re OK. Hang up and immediately report it to the police.

Fattening up the “pig”

AI can also be used to run text and chat scams, often called pig-butchering scams, in which scammers “fatten up” their targets emotionally before hitting them up for money.

That new friend on Instagram (or Facebook, WhatsApp or text messaging) may look and act like a real person, and have what seems to be a real photo, but is actually an AI program. Eventually, it will ask you for money, and that’s where the scam starts. It may show up as someone claiming they’re in the hospital and need medical care, with pictures to prove it. But those pictures will be generated by AI. You could also be sent a picture of your home (taken from Google Street View) by someone who threatens to come after you. Never give away your real location in your account info. Don’t verify anything they seem to know about you. Contact the police and let them investigate.

All of these scams have one thing in common: money. The safest thing you can do is not engage with someone you have not met in real life, especially if the conversation begins to turn toward money. Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize – anyone contacting you with something important will leave a message. Look for signs that the Facebook profile’s owner is actually someone local. You can do this by clicking on their picture, and looking for “view profile”. Do they have other local friends? Pictures of their family? Or are they following local businesses? If the account is new and has none of that, it’s safest to cease contact and block them.

Other weird scams: links sent via text about a package that can’t be delivered or seemingly innocuous texts from numbers you don’t know. One popular scam is the “Hey Steve, it’s Mark, we met at so-and-so’s party,” or a random request to verify you’re meeting someone later. These are ways for a scammer to find out if your number is a working number. If you respond, they may then apologize for bothering you, offer friendship, and continue communication. Inevitably, it will end with the same thing these scams always do — a request for money.

Another scam WCAX reported on recently that has happened to locals and to folks across the state is a call from the sheriff’s office. The caller may be looking for someone, or perhaps looking for you because you “missed jury duty,”telling you there’s a warrant out for your arrest, but that you can avoid arrest by paying a fine. They might provide you with real names and badge numbers. Get their information, hang up, and call the police department from the number on their website, not a number given to you by the person on the phone. Chances are, it’s also fake.

If a business (especially a bank) emails asking you to login, do not click the link, go directly to the website instead and confirm the message or information you’ve been sent. Scams can come from anywhere at any time. The emails could appear to come from Netflix, Xfinity, Amazon, Google … scammers will use any trick they can to get you to compromise your accounts.

AI videos, photos, and scams are getting harder to identify. Always proceed with caution when dealing with someone you don’t know, and immediately be concerned when you are asked for money.

The author of this article, Carey, works at Brandon Free Public Library and is happy to help you navigate this rapidly-changing digital landscape. Call for a free tech help appointment (802-247-8230) or stop in during her designated times if you’re ever unsure: Tues and Wed from 5-6:30 p.m. and Fridays 3-5 p.m.