The infamous emails from a “Nigerian prince” promising riches if you’d only be willing to transfer a small amount of money often had at least one tell-tale sign tipping off their ill intent … poor grammar.

That red flag hasn’t just applied to phony royalty, either. One of the easiest ways to detect scams has long been obvious grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors.

But over the last year or so, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the sophistication of these scams, in large part due to the advancement and proliferation of artificial intelligence. In AI, scammers have an effective tool to limit the glaringly obvious linguistic errors that were once a first line of defense for consumers. Scams also can be manufactured faster and more convincingly than ever before thanks to AI.

Scary stuff, I know. But there are ways for you to keep the upper hand.

One thing that has struck me is that scam strategies largely remain the same, even if the tactics have changed. The human psychology behind the scams hasn’t changed much, either.

Today’s “social engineering” scams, such as phishing, attempt to lure you into a place of emotion rather than logic — in much the same ways those Nigerian prince scams once did. Scammers attempt to create a sense of urgency — preying on anything from desperation to kind-heartedness — to trick you into giving bad actors access to your personal information.

Text messages or emails that appear from financial institutions claiming you’re locked out of your account (often including a link that promises to lead you to help rectify the nonexistent situation) are one such example. “Out of stock” scams — when a too-good-to-be-true price for an online good is offered, only to be met with “out of stock” once you’ve been tricked into passing over payment information — are a common tactic, too. Fraudulent “unsubscribe” links in emails or phony tech support scams may look different than in years past, but they use strategies that thieves have employed for decades.

The good news is, by default, there are still reliable scam indicators to look for. Any unexpected email, text, or call demanding you to act quickly — or requests sensitive information or money — should set off alarms.

Because these overarching strategies are the same, you have the same power to stop fraud attempts as you did 20 years ago, even if bad grammar isn’t the tipoff it once was.

If you see a suspicious email or text, don’t open it and never click on a link unless you know for certain it is from a trusted source (financial institutions like SELCO will never send you a link to reinstate access to your account). If you’ve been sent an email or text and you’re unsure if it is legitimate, assume it’s not and call the supposed company directly by using the phone number on its official website rather than clicking the link or dialing a number listed in the email or text. Unsecured websites (those without a lock icon in the HTTP address bar) or sites with obscure URLs, a lack of reviews, lots of negative ratings, or unrealistic prices are all signs to steer clear, too. And never log in to a website that accepts payment or personal information unless you see “HTTPS” in the URL.

Remember, if you get that “creep” vibe, trust it. Only call numbers you know or can verify personally, or opt for face-to-face conversations.

Be proactive, too.

Using difficult-to-guess, unique passwords for every account can make a real difference. And give your accounts significantly more strength against unauthorized access by opting for two-factor authentication or setting up face or fingerprint access.

Whether young or old, tech-savvy or a computer novice, no one’s immune from being targeted. And there is no shame in falling victim, so don’t keep it a secret. Notify your financial institution immediately if you believe your information is in the wrong hands.

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