Pennsylvania State Police say this is the week that they typically begin to see holiday scams ramp up in the Greater Pittsburgh region. Troopers say they expect calls about scams involing spoof bank numbers and giftcards, but this year they are also preparing for scams involving artificial intelligence. “We’ve learned over these past couple of years that our area is hotspot for the scam calls and the incidents online,” said Trooper Rocco Gagliardi with Pennsylvania State Police. “If it works out once, they’re going to continue to hit the area. We see the standard spike right about this week leading all the way to the New Year.” However, this year PSP is prepping for a new, additional scam using artificial intelligance to create something called a “deepfake.” Trooper Gagliardi says scammers will strip audio found online, most commonly on social media. Scammers can download the video, save the audio and then proceed to upload the clips to a website that specializing in artificial intelligence. Some of the websites require subscriptions but others are completely free. Trooper Gagliardi demostrated a deepfake to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that he created using previous interview he’s done in his position as Public Information Officer for PSP. In the audio clip, you can hear a man that sounds just like Trooper Gagliardi leave a message for his mother saying a family bank account has been hacked. “Hey Mom! I actually got a pretty weird phonecall from the bank,” said the computer generated audio. “They told me our account was suspended – can you send me your account number and the pin so I can call them back? Thanks. Love you.””It sounds eerily similair to my voice,” explained Gagliardi who added that the clip took less than 5 minutes to generate. It’s not just audio, either. Pictures and videos can be easily digitally altered or even created from scratch using AI technology as well. While the technology is nothing new, it just becoming more easily accesible. Troopers say not only will scammers use the technology to steal money, but it can also be used in more sinister ways leading to fake 911 calls, like swatting. Safety officials say the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to have a unique, family safe password. It should be something totally random, like purple pinata or yellow elephant. You should stay away from your pets name, street address or any other information that may be readily available on social meda — that way if the person on the other end of the call can’t present the code, you know it’s a fake. PSP says anyone who falls victim to a scam should report it to their local police department or to troopers. Tips may also be sent to [email protected].