How smart tools can help keep you safe

A few days ago, I got two texts that made my scam radar start pinging. You know the kind — official-sounding language, odd urgency, and a suspicious link at the bottom. One message claimed to be from the Georgia DMV, threatening license suspension if I didn’t pay an alleged traffic ticket by a specific date. The other was dressed up like a package delivery notice, asking me to “click to confirm delivery.” Neither was legit.

We’ve all been there: a message pops up that feels off. Maybe the spelling is strange, the tone is too aggressive or the link just looks wrong. In the past, I’d either delete these messages or call a friend to double-check. But now I do something else first: I copy and paste the message directly into ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot and let AI help sort it out.

Here’s the good news: artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the best tools we have for scam detection and protection. Whether you’re getting shady texts, emails or even questionable voicemails, AI can help you figure out what’s real and what’s a trap.

How AI can spot a scam

Scams are designed to manipulate your emotions. They try to scare you, tempt you with too-good-to-be-true deals or rush you into clicking before you can think things through. AI, on the other hand, isn’t scared or tempted, it’s trained on billions of examples and can recognize red flags in seconds.

When you paste a suspicious message into a tool like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, the AI analyzes the language, tone and structure of the message. It can tell you things like:

• Whether similar messages have been flagged in the past
• If the sender’s language mimics known phishing scams
• Whether a link is spoofed or points to a fake domain
• How the message compares to legitimate communications from that organization

For example, when I asked ChatGPT to analyze the fake DMV text I received, it quickly pointed out that the website link didn’t match any official Georgia government domain. It also explained that the legal code cited didn’t exist. In about ten seconds, I had peace of mind and didn’t have to Google obscure traffic laws.

Try this at home: paste and ask

If you get an email from your “bank” asking you to verify your account, or a text from UPS telling you to click to schedule delivery, don’t panic. Just copy the text, open your AI assistant  and ask something like:

“Is this a scam?”

“Can you check this message and tell me if it looks suspicious?”

“Does this link look legit?”

These prompts work well in ChatGPT, Copilot or even voice assistants connected to an AI back end. You’ll usually get a quick, clear breakdown of what’s wrong and how to proceed.

One word of caution: don’t click links first, even if you’re pasting them into AI tools. If you’re unsure, just ask the AI to evaluate the message without opening anything. AI can check the structure and known scam patterns of the link without following it.

AI tools that can help

In addition to general AI assistants, there are more specialized tools designed specifically for scam prevention:

• Google’s Gmail AI filters now automatically flag many phishing attempts before they hit your inbox
• Microsoft Defender SmartScreen offers scam link detection in real-time when browsing
• ChatGPT and Copilot provide natural language support to help evaluate emails or texts
• Trend Micro Check is a browser extension that uses AI to verify websites, texts and links for legitimacy
• Avast and Norton’s security suites offer scam alerts powered by AI pattern recognition

Teaching AI to protect us

What makes AI so effective here is its ability to learn from thousands, even millions of scam messages. It doesn’t rely on just blacklists or preset rules. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyze tone, urgency cues, unusual spellings, mismatched logos or grammatical oddities — things humans may overlook.

Even if a new scam appears tomorrow using slightly different wording or targeting a different audience, the AI can often detect the pattern and flag it.

Helpful habits to stay safe

While AI is powerful, it works best when paired with a few smart habits:

• Don’t click before checking. If anything feels even a little “off,” take a second to paste it into your AI assistant first
• Verify links yourself. Hover over a link to see the real destination or better yet, type in the official site yourself
• Avoid replying to unknown numbers. Even a simple “Stop” response confirms your number is active
• Be cautious of any request for immediate action, gift cards or personal info. These are scammer favorites

A word to the wise and our elders

Many scams target older adults, often impersonating government agencies, banks or Medicare. If you’ve got parents or grandparents with smartphones, show them how to use an AI assistant — or better yet, set it up for them. Just knowing they can copy and paste a message to “their AI buddy” for a second opinion could save them from trouble.

AI isn’t just about writing poems, creating playlists or beating you at chess. It’s also becoming an essential digital bodyguard — on call 24/7, ready to examine any message that makes your gut say, “Hmm…”

So the next time your phone buzzes with a shady message, don’t guess. Paste it into your AI assistant, hit “analyze,” and let the tech do the worrying for you.

Joe Finkelstein (AI Joe) has been a technology educator in Bibb County for more than 20 years. For questions and comments visit askaijoe.com