A new coalition is protecting New Yorkers from online scams.
The United to Stop Online Scams campaign is educating people about detecting online fraud, though artificial intelligence is making it harder for people to determine which online ads are real.
Kate Kleinert, a widow and scam survivor from Pennsylvania, serves as a national spokesperson for the coalition. She was inspired to speak up after losing money in a romance scam which began with a stranger’s online friend request.
“By the end, I had sent him $39,000, the last of my husband’s life insurance. It was devastating,” Kleinert recounted.
Data show such scams have cost New York families close to $9 billion. The scam targeting Kleinert involved a real-life perpetrator. But she worries about older adults falling for online scams where AI is a key component, like a phone call from a voice sounding like the victim’s grandchild claiming to need money.
New Yorkers are calling for state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger protections alongside greater accountability from tech companies. Several state bills have been introduced to force tech companies to put a stop to AI ads.
Meta documents show around $16 billion of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods. But Kleinert feels not enough is being done to hold Big Tech companies accountable.
“Meta, Google, and other tech companies have allowed this to happen for years. They make it too easy for online scammers to create fake identities and target people,” Kleinert contended.
Several tech companies signed an agreement brokered by President Donald Trump to self-regulate their work on AI. These include internal controls to detect any issues with the technology, layers of auditing and controls through internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators. However, some tech executives, like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, said self-regulation is not enough and government must monitor AI development.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.
