{
  "id": 8236832,
  "title": "Humans or AI? Who or what can scam you more effectively?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/humans-or-ai-who-or-what-can-scam-you-more-effectively",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-18T11:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-humans-ai-scam-effectively.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spear-phishing attacks, which use personal information to make messages more convincing, are becoming increasingly common. A recent study by BYU researchers found that AI-generated phishing messages can be even more effective than human-created scams, with AI matching or outperforming humans in generating clicks in 80% of cases. The research, led by BYU cybersecurity professor Derek Hansen, found that participants struggled to determine whether a message was AI-generated or human-written, correctly identifying the source only 52% of the time. Messages that included personal details such as a person's job or workplace were the most convincing. As more personal information becomes available online, AI can quickly gather and use this data to create convincing phishing messages at a rapid pace. To protect against these attacks, the researchers recommend verifying unexpected messages through separate, trusted channels, even if they contain personal details that seem relevant.",
  "summary": "A text from your neighborhood gardening club friend Ben offering a deal on seeds might seem too specific to be a scam. But that kind of personalization is exactly what can make phishing messages convincing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}