Let’s Get Real About Deception—Deepfakes and Other Online Fraud

Security Management magazine Senior Editor Megan Gates talks about the online frauds we’re seeing personally and professionally, as well as the serious costs involved. Then, cybersecurity expert Tom Cross, head of threat research at GetReal Security, gets into deepfakes: AI-tech-enabled recorded or live audio and video that looks so legitimate the world thinks fake news is real, fake job applicants get hired, and fake authorities obtain confidential information.
Additional Resources
Go deeper into considering how technical double-checking and human skepticism intersect in countering fraud with the NIST Phish Scale that Tom Cross mentions: https://www.nist.gov/publications/nist-phish-scale-user-guide .
Read how North Korea turned identity fraud into cash and information access by getting fake IT workers hired around the world: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2026/august/Follow-the-Money/
AI also makes deepfakes in “cognitive warfare” between companies, political parties, and countries easier and more insidious: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/04/cognitive-warfare/
Deepfake impersonation is big money for more than North Korea, as seen in a recent report from IBM. Back in June, we reviewed a report that found a 500 percent increase in deepfake impersonation in 2025. But, really, how widespread are impersonation-related scams? We don’t know. https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/april/scam-government-approach/
Deepfakes hurt teens and prey on our need for love: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/07/cyberbullying-in-schools/cyberbullying-development-pressure-information-overload/; https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/february/Looking-for-Love-Romance-Scams/
Some people say AI isn’t all bad—or that we need to find ways to better use it. Cassie Kozyrkov, former chief data scientist at Google, explained some ideas for hiring and HR in a keynote address at GSX 2026: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/gsx-daily-2026/gsx-2026-keynote-kozyrkov/
Want to cut out AI and tech from your work? You’re not alone—and it’s not necessarily a bad idea: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/09/workforce-engagement/office-luddite/