Harassment, Impersonation, and Extortion

Classification

Domain

4. Malicious actors

Subdomain

4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation

Causal entity

Human

Intent

Intentional

Timing

Post-deployment

Subdomain definition: Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.

Real-world incidents in this subdomain

• 31 May 2026Italian Mediaset Journalist Safiria Leccese's Image Was Reportedly Used in a Purportedly AI-Generated Fake Loan Scam
• 24 May 2026Scammers Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Daughter's Voice to Defraud Bay Area Mother in Fake Kidnapping Call
• 19 May 2026Texas Man Arturo Hernandez Allegedly Published AI-Generated Deepfake Pornography Depicting Women in TAKE IT DOWN Act Case
• 5 May 2026Guelph, Ontario, Woman Reportedly Lost $14,000 in Purported Deepfake MrBeast Cryptocurrency Scam
• 4 May 2026Purportedly AI-Recreated Clips from Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage' Video Reportedly Appeared in FBI Promotional Video Posted by Kash Patel
• 28 Apr 2026Ahmedabad Aadhaar Fraud Racket Reportedly Used Purportedly AI-Generated Deepfakes to Change Businessman's Linked Mobile Number

How other frameworks describe this risk

• Impersonation/identity theft

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• IP/copyright loss

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• Dehumanisation/objectification

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• Defamation/libel/slander

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• Financial and business

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• Cheating/plagiarism

  A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)

• Cybersecurity

  Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models (Anwar2024)

• Domain-Specific Misuses

  Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models (Anwar2024)

Other entries from EPIC2023

• Information Manipulation Risk Category · 4.1
• Scams Risk Sub-Category · 4.3
• Disinformation Risk Sub-Category · 4.1
• Misinformation Risk Sub-Category · 3.1
• Security Risk Sub-Category · 4.2
• Clickbait and feeding the surveillance advertising ecosystem Risk Sub-Category · 3.2
• Malicious intent Risk Sub-Category · 4.3
• Privacy and consent Risk Sub-Category · 4.3
• Believability Risk Sub-Category · 4.3
• Opaque Data Collection Risk Category · 2.1
• Scraping to train data Risk Sub-Category · 2.1
• Generative AI User Data Risk Sub-Category · 2.1