FBI IC3 AI fraud PSA
FBI IC3 Public Service Announcement I-120324-PSA — Criminal Use of Generative AI
United States · FBI IC3 PSA I-120324-PSA (Dec. 3, 2024)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- December 3, 2024
- Applies to
- N/A (consumer-facing PSA); informs FBI/DOJ investigations
- Enforced by
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center warned that criminals are using generative AI for phishing, impersonation, romance scams, investment fraud, and synthetic identity creation — and gave concrete defenses, like asking a 'secret word' on suspicious family calls. The PSA underpins FBI investigative priority and informs federal AI-fraud charging decisions.
Who is protected: U.S. consumers, businesses, and elder fraud targets
Legal detail
FBI IC3 PSA I-120324-PSA (Dec. 3, 2024) catalogues criminal uses of GenAI: AI-cloned voice for grandparent/CEO scams; AI-generated images for romance and investment fraud; deepfake videos for celebrity-endorsement scams; LLM-drafted phishing; synthetic identities for credit and benefit fraud. Recommends consumer mitigations (secret word, multi-channel verification) and feeds IC3 complaint data into federal investigations.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | United States |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | December 3, 2024 |
| Citation | FBI IC3 PSA I-120324-PSA (Dec. 3, 2024) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Underlying wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft and computer-fraud statutes apply |
| Topics | consumer protection · deepfakes · consumer data privacy |
| Agency page | Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud (FBI IC3 PSA) |
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