From Edie: Learn how to use AI to fact-check images, social media posts, and online claims while protecting your personal information and verifying trusted sources.
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How to Use AI to Stay Safe Online (Part 2): Fact-Check Images, Posts, and Online Claims
by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
Last time, we looked at using AI as a safety tool to help identify possible online scams.
But suspicious messages are only part of the problem.
Today we also need to deal with fake photographs, misleading social media posts, impersonation accounts, recycled stories, manipulated information, and posts that contain just enough truth to make the lie believable.
And I'll confess something. Sometimes I want the message to be true. Often the words confirm something I already believe. Maybe what I’ve written is a great story. Whatever emotion the message triggers, that reaction makes me more vulnerable.
Because scammers—and people spreading misinformation—understand something very important about human beings: We're much more likely to share first and investigate later when something triggers a strong emotion. That's why I've learned to slow down.
Use Images as Clues
One of the easiest things to investigate is an image. For example, suppose we receive a friend request from someone we don't know. The profile looks legitimate, and the person has an attractive, professional-looking photograph. Is it real? Maybe.
But that photograph could also have been stolen from someone else's profile.
One option is a reverse-image search. Save the image and upload it to a reverse-image-search tool such as Google Lens. The presentation also suggests asking AI what clues to investigate when determining whether a profile photo may have been stolen.
We could ask, “Can you help me determine whether this profile photo appears stolen? What should I check?”
AI may not be able to prove who owns an image simply by looking at it, but it can help us determine what to investigate. The last part of the query is important, “What should I check?” This gives us OUR next steps. And we're not asking AI to make the final decision. Instead, we're asking it to help us become better investigators.
Fact-Check Those Viral Posts
We all have that friend. You know the one. Every few days, something appears on their social media feed warning us that Facebook is about to start charging us, a company is giving away RVs because somebody scratched them, or we're supposed to copy and paste some legal paragraph onto our profile before midnight.
Please don't be that friend.
Before sharing a message from anyone (but especially that friend), ask AI to help investigate it.
Valuable AI Queries:
- “Is this Facebook post accurate?”
- “Verify the claims made in this post.”
- “Explain this message in plain English.”
- Or one of my favorites: “What is this sender actually asking me to do?”
That last question is surprisingly helpful for complicated emails. Sometimes scammers bury the actual request underneath several paragraphs of official-sounding language. AI can help strip away the noise so we can see what someone actually wants from us. And once we see that, the scam often becomes much easier to recognize.
My Three Question Rule
I've developed a simple three-question rule I want us to use before responding to something suspicious online.
1. Does this make emotional sense—or is it trying to make me panic?
Pay attention to your emotions. Fear and urgency are powerful manipulation tools. If something makes us feel as though we must act right this second, that's usually a good reason not to.
2. Can AI identify any warning signs?
Take a screenshot. Copy the non-sensitive text. Ask AI to analyze it. Don't just ask, “Is this a scam?” Ask why it might be a scam.
3. Can I independently verify it from another trusted source?
This is the most important question of all. If our bank supposedly sent the message, we contact our bank independently. If Facebook supposedly sent it, we check our account through Facebook itself. If a friend supposedly needs money, we call our friend using a number we already have. AI is part of the verification process. Artificial Intelligence isn't the end of our investigation.
One HUGE Warning About Using AI for Scam Detection
We have to talk about this because it's easy to make a serious mistake while trying to protect ourselves.
Never paste sensitive personal information into AI when asking it to analyze something.
That includes:
- Passwords
- Social Security numbers
- Banking information
- Credit card numbers
- Medical records
- One-time authentication codes
- Sensitive business information
If the suspicious email includes sensitive information, remove or black out that information before uploading a screenshot to the AI program you’re using. AI never needs our bank account number to evaluate whether an email claiming to come from our bank looks suspicious.
Protect the information first. Then ask the question.
Don't Forget Basic Online Security
AI may be new, but many of the best ways to stay safe online are still the basics we’ve been (hopefully) practicing for years. We still need to pay attention to the basics. Look closely at email addresses. Scammers often use an address that's almost right but contains an extra letter, number, or slightly altered domain.
Pay attention to grammar and strange wording. Beware of ticking clocks and artificial deadlines. Be suspicious when someone requests passwords, usernames, banking information, or other private information. And be extremely cautious with links.
When we're told there's a problem with an account, instead of clicking the link in the message, we should open another browser window and navigate independently to the legitimate site.
A Few More Ways to Stay Safe Online
There are some habits I believe all of us should cultivate.
- Remain aware.
- Develop a healthy skepticism.
- Use two-factor authentication.
- Use a different password for every account.
- Use privacy tools such as Hide My Email when appropriate.
- Don't assume anything we post online is truly private.
- Close old accounts we no longer use.
- And do our research.
I also like to begin from a position of skepticism when something unexpected shows up. Not cynicism. Skepticism.There's a difference. Cynicism says everyone is lying. Healthy skepticism says, I'm going to verify this before I trust it.
AI Can Be Our Digital Fact-Checking Partner
AI has introduced some new dangers into our online world. There's no question about that.
But Artificial Intelligence has also given us some powerful new tools. We no longer have to recognize every scam ourselves. We don't have to understand every technical term in a suspicious email. We don't have to know exactly why something feels wrong before we investigate it. We can ask for help. The bottom line from my presentation is simple:
Think of AI as your digital fact-checking partner.
Before you click, pay, share, or panic, ask AI first.
Then verify with a trusted source.
Technology is going to continue changing. Scammers are going to continue changing their tactics right along with it. That means our goal isn't to memorize every scam—we have to keep track of enough things already. Our goal should be developing habits that make us harder to fool. And perhaps one of the most important habits we can develop is also one of the simplest:
Before we react, we investigate.
Now it's your turn. What safety habits have you developed to protect yourself online? And have you found a scam that was particularly difficult to spot? Be sure to share your experiences in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
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Don’t miss the rest of this two-part series!
She and husband Kirk have been married 44+ years with three grown sons and four grandchildren. They live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and can often be found with their big black dog hiking the mountains. Connect with her at www.EdieMelson.com and through social media.
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