Artificial intelligence is making it increasingly difficult for Nigerians to tell the difference between what is real and what has been manipulated.
For years, many online scams were relatively easy to spot. Poor grammar, suspicious links, unfamiliar phone numbers and unrealistic promises often served as warning signs. But the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is changing how fraudsters operate.
Today, criminals can use AI-powered tools to generate convincing messages, clone voices and manipulate videos in ways that make scams appear to come from trusted family members, friends, business partners or public figures.
The growing use of deepfakes and AI-generated content means that simply seeing a video or hearing a familiar voice may no longer be enough to confirm that a person is genuinely behind a message.
Cybersecurity concerns are growing as these tools become more accessible and sophisticated.
Fake Voices, Real Panic
One of the most alarming uses of AI in fraud is voice cloning.
Imagine receiving a WhatsApp voice note from someone who sounds exactly like your brother, sister, friend or colleague.
The person sounds distressed and urgently asks for money.
The voice may be familiar. The tone may sound convincing. The message may even include personal details.
But it could still be fake.
AI tools can analyse recordings of a person’s voice and generate speech that closely imitates how they sound. With voice clips now widely available through social media, videos, interviews and voice notes, criminals may have more material to work with than many people realise.
This creates a new challenge for victims.
In the past, people were often advised to trust a familiar voice. Today, that alone may no longer be enough.
A request for money, account details or other sensitive information should be independently verified, particularly when the request is urgent or unusual.
Calling the person directly through a known phone number or using another method of verification can help prevent a costly mistake.
Deepfake Videos Add a New Layer of Deception
Voice cloning is only one part of the problem.
AI can also be used to create or manipulate videos, making it appear as though celebrities, executives, politicians or other public figures are promoting products, investments or businesses they have never endorsed.
These manipulated videos, commonly described as deepfakes, can be particularly dangerous because they take advantage of public trust.
A video showing a familiar public figure recommending an investment scheme may appear convincing, especially when it is shared repeatedly across social media platforms and messaging groups.
However, the existence of a video does not automatically make its content genuine.
The source material highlights examples documented by Africa Check involving AI-generated videos that used the likenesses of well-known Nigerians to promote questionable products and schemes.
As AI tools improve, manipulated content could become increasingly difficult for ordinary internet users to identify.
This is changing one of the oldest assumptions about digital information: that seeing something is enough to prove it happened.
Why Nigerians Need to Be More Careful Online
Nigeria’s growing digital economy has created more opportunities for communication, business and financial transactions.
However, it has also created new opportunities for cybercriminals.
WhatsApp, social media platforms, online banking and digital payment systems have become essential parts of everyday life. This means that a convincing AI-generated message can quickly move from a harmless-looking voice note to a serious financial loss.
Fraudsters often depend on urgency.
A victim may receive a message claiming that a family member has been involved in an accident, is stranded or urgently needs money.
The goal is to create panic and force the victim to act before taking time to verify the request.
Artificial intelligence can make these scams even more effective by adding a familiar voice or realistic video to the deception.
That is why digital awareness is becoming just as important as the technology itself.
Verify Before You Act
The most important defence against AI-powered scams remains simple: verify before taking action.
If you receive an unexpected request for money from someone you know, do not rely entirely on the voice or video attached to the message.
Call the person using a number you already know. Where possible, contact them through another platform or ask questions that can help confirm their identity.
Users should also be cautious about clicking unfamiliar links, sharing personal information or sending money because of an urgent request received online.
When a message creates panic, urgency or pressure, taking a few minutes to independently verify the information could prevent a major loss.
People should also be careful about sharing voice recordings, personal videos and other digital content publicly, as such material could potentially be used to create convincing impersonations.
The Challenge for Cybersecurity
The rise of AI-powered scams presents a growing challenge for individuals, technology companies, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.
Traditional scam detection methods may become less effective as AI-generated content becomes more realistic.
This means cybersecurity awareness will have to evolve alongside the technology.
Digital platforms and institutions will increasingly need stronger systems for detecting manipulated content, fraudulent accounts and suspicious financial activity.
At the same time, users must understand that AI is changing the meaning of digital evidence.
A familiar voice can be cloned. A realistic video can be manipulated. A message written in perfect English can be generated automatically.
The old warning signs of online scams are not disappearing, but they are no longer the only indicators people need to watch.
A New Digital Reality
Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to improve businesses, education, healthcare, communication and public services.
But like many powerful technologies, it can also be exploited.
The growing use of AI by fraudsters means Nigerians will need to develop a stronger culture of digital verification.
Trust should no longer depend entirely on what appears on a screen or what comes through a speaker.
Before sending money, sharing sensitive information or responding to an urgent request, pause and verify.
In the age of artificial intelligence, hearing is no longer necessarily believing — and increasingly, neither is seeing.