In a city as vast and digitally connected as New York, cyber deceit and consumer foul play are pervasive specters haunting the public. This past year has seen a significant uptick in such deceptive acts, with a reported 44% increase in instances of internet fraud from the previous year, according to Gothamist. The New York Attorney General's office, headed by Letitia James, registered more than 3,700 complaints in a report that paints a disconcerting picture of online vulnerability.
With the rise of advanced AI tools, scammers have found more sophisticated ways to exploit that vulnerability. "In general, as we've built better and better security systems, the attackers always look for the weak link, and that's often humans," NYU Tandon School of Engineering cybersecurity professor Justin Cappos told Gothamist. Among the various scams, online account takeovers were particularly prevalent, where fraudsters gain unauthorized access to steal personal and financial information, often using sophisticated phishing techniques.
The issue is not isolated to the digital realm either. Attorney General James also spotlighted a bevy of other complaints in her recent release, reported by SILive. These included price gouging during a period of bird flu outbreak, which saw egg prices spiral as high as $11 for a dozen in some areas, and also a dark practice known as deed theft, where homeowners are tricked into signing away their property titles.
James encouraged New Yorkers to exercise a higher degree of skepticism, especially when it comes to unexpected calls claiming association with credible institutions. "People need to be a lot more skeptical about ... a random person calling them on the phone and asking them questions and saying they're from an organization," Cappos emphasized in a statement obtained by Gothamist. Apart from internet fraud, the Attorney General's list of top 10 consumer complaints included issues with retail sales, landlord-tenant disputes, and credit, banking, and mortgages.
In the battle against these scams, the office of the Attorney General underscored the importance of employing strong, unique passwords and enabling multifactor authentication, steering away from the less secure text messages for verification purposes. Additionally, New Yorkers were urged to stay alert to account changes and check websites like haveibeenpwned.com for potential involvement in data breaches. James promises that her office stands as a vigilant defender against these fraudulent acts and entreats consumers to seek the website for tips and submit complaints if they fall victim to such schemes, as mentioned in a report by SILive.
