Lesson 4 of 6 · 7 min read
Privacy and scams
What not to paste into a chat box, and how to spot scams that use a familiar voice or the words “AI verified.”
The chat box is not a drawer
Anything you paste may be stored, reviewed, or used to improve a product, depending on the settings and the vendor. Assume a public chatbot is a poor place for secrets. Your workplace policy wins over curiosity.
Do not paste passwords, one-time codes, Social Security numbers, full payment card numbers, medical charts, or unpublished business numbers. Do not paste someone else’s private information to “see what the AI thinks.”
Work accounts and customer data
A personal chat account and a company-approved tool are not the same. If your employer has a list of allowed tools, use that list. Customer names, student records, and health information often fall under rules that a consumer chat box does not meet.
If you are unsure, describe the situation without the identifiers: “a patient,” not the patient’s name and date of birth.
Deepfakes and cloned voices
A deepfake is a picture, video, or audio clip made to look or sound like a real person did or said something they did not. A short voice note from “your grandson” or a video of a boss “approving a transfer” can be fabricated.
Familiar details are not proof. Scammers mix public facts, leaked data, and a panicked tone. The usual hooks are urgency, secrecy, and an unusual way to pay — gift cards, crypto, or a new account “just this once.”
“The AI verified it”
No chatbot confirmation replaces a call you place yourself. If a message says your bank, the IRS, a relative, or your CEO needs money or a code, hang up. Use the number on the back of your card, your statement, or the directory you already trust. Do not use the number in the message.
Never share a one-time passcode. Anyone who has it can try to enter your account. A real bank employee will not ask you to read it out to “stop a fraud.”
Keep these
- Passwords, government ID numbers, health details, and other people’s private data do not belong in a public chat.
- Follow the workplace rule on which tools may see company or customer data.
- Urgency plus a cloned voice is a scam pattern. Call back on a number you look up yourself.