Impersonation/identity theft

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

• 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)

• Misinformation and Manipulation

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

• Harm to individuals through fake content

  International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI (Bengio2024)

• Harm to individuals through fake content

  International AI Safety Report 2025 (Bengio2025)

• Unhelpful Uses

  Risk Taxonomy, Mitigation, and Assessment Benchmarks of Large Language Model Systems (Cui2024)

• Academic Misconduct

  Risk Taxonomy, Mitigation, and Assessment Benchmarks of Large Language Model Systems (Cui2024)

• Harassment, Impersonation, and Extortion

  Generating Harms - Generative AI's impact and paths forwards (EPIC2023)

Other entries from Abercrombie2024

• Autonomy Risk Category · 5.2
• Autonomy/agency loss Risk Sub-Category · 5.2
• IP/copyright loss Risk Sub-Category · 4.3
• Personality rights loss Risk Sub-Category · 5.2
• Physical Risk Category
• Bodily Injury Risk Sub-Category
• Loss of Life Risk Sub-Category
• Personal Health Deterioration Risk Sub-Category
• Property Damage Risk Sub-Category
• "Psychological - Direct or indirect impairment of the emotional and psychological mental health of an individual, organisation, or society." Risk Category
• Addiction Risk Sub-Category · 5.1
• Alienation/isolation Risk Sub-Category · 5.1