WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-PA, chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, led his colleagues Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to request information about the agency’s work to track the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in scams targeted at older Americans.

In the letter, the senators pointed out the increasing role that AI is playing in frauds and scams, and asked the agency for information about how it is tracking AI-powered-scams and the actions it is taking to prevent them.

The senators wrote, “Many times, the AI-powered scams seem so realistic that the victims do not know the scammers have utilized AI in targeting them. In these situations, generative AI can exacerbate the false panic and sense of urgency victims often feel when targeted, compelling them to turn over the private or financial information the scammer requests. Unfortunately, it is evident that we still have a lot to learn about how AI will be utilized in the future against American consumers and older adults…efforts to educate the public, law enforcement, and policymakers should be informed by evidence-based data.”

Last month, Casey held a hearing entitled, “Modern Scams: How Scammers Are Using Artificial Intelligence & How We Can Fight Back.” The hearing examined how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be utilized by scammers to deploy scams and convince targets of their veracity, and how AI technology is being deployed to enhance the next generation of fraud detection systems. During the hearing, Casey unveiled the Aging Committee’s annual Fraud Book, and also released a brochure on AI-powered scams and a bookmark featuring tips to avoid scams.