Online scams on the rise as holidays approach, security experts warn

Security expert David Shipley said artificial intelligence is making online scams more convincing. (Michael Heenan/CBC)

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, security experts are warning people to be careful when buying online.

David Shipley, CEO and co-founder of New Brunswick-based Beauceron Security Inc., said people should be careful of fraud on social media such as Facebook and even on what comes up on Google.

“We've never seen as many malicious, false, spam or fraud ads as we are seeing today on search engines,” Shipley said. 

“And now with artificial intelligence, we have rocket fuel poured on fraud."

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both marketing labels designed to get people to shop, whether in stores or online. The first is Nov. 28, the day after U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and the second is on Dec. 1, the first Monday after the holiday.

With AI tools, a “low-skilled, consumer-grade criminal” can create incredibly convincing fraud, he said.

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