TULSA, Okla. — As AI-generated deepfake scams become more convincing, the financial losses are becoming more staggering. More than $200 million was lost in the first quarter of 2025 alone to, according to the FBI.
One category in particular is hitting wallets hard. In the wake of natural disasters, scammers are quickly creating fake charity appeals to send out by text, email and on social media.
Oklahoma is no stranger to the devastating impact of natural disasters — tornadoes, floods and wildfires regularly strike the state.
"It's really, really devastating to look at," said one disaster victim.
When disasters happen, text feeds, social media and emails fill up with pictures of the devastation, and hearts go out to the victims.
"I can't believe it — it seems unreal right now," said a Mannford wildfire victim who lost his family home.
People are quick to give generously when messages ask for help, but cybersecurity expert Brian Long with Adaptive Security warns against clicking on links in disaster relief requests.
"I really would advise you, don't click on the link in the text message or the email," Long said.
That's because as soon as disaster strikes, AI deepfake scammers create images and links that look like real clips of a disaster and charity sites to steal money.
Instead of clicking on links, Long says to play it safe when donating to disaster relief.
"Go to the website for the charity directly," Long said.
Long said most of the natural disaster deepfakes are created overseas and can be done in minutes with cheap AI technology that doesn't take much skill to use.
This means bad actors can instantly use natural disasters to take advantage of donors. It also means if and when people realize they've been tricked, they likely can't get their money back. Those they wanted to help are also cheated out of the financial resources needed to put their lives back together.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
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