AUTHOR’S NOTE:  This is the ninth of The Screwtape “Text Messages” in Today’s AI World.  Although the basic C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters vehicle of communications of a senior demon to an apprentice is retained, I have made a few changes:

The method of communication is text messages instead of letters.  The apprentice demon, Wormwood, has been replaced by Phishhook and Screwtape has been replaced by Mephisto, named after a demon from German folklore and Faust. The target to be tempted by the demons is referred to as “The Lostling.” The demons refer to hell as Meta-Dystopia. Finally, there are observations about the text messages from a “good team” fact checker and analyst, Clarion Veridiel.

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TO: Phishhook (101-001-1010)    URGENT

FROM: Mephisto

LOSTLING DOSSIER: Your twin targets are a male and a female senior citizen.   They’re both retired, widowed, and in good health.  The male Lostling likes to travel, but the female is a bit of a recluse and is lonely.  Much of their time is spent reading and watching TV.  They both use social media and keep up on current events.

Dear Phishhook:

ONLINE SCAMS.  The list of online scams that we use for our purposes could extend for pages, but the Demon’s Handbook lists the Tempter’s Top Ten as:

  1. Phishing–Deceptive emails, text messages, and websites that pretend to come from legitimate organizations (banks, etc.) to steal your login credentials or financial information.
  1. Investments—Financial schemes that promise high returns with little risk.
  2. Lotteries—Lostlings are told they have won a lottery or a prize but must pay a fee to claim it.
  3. Shopping–Sellers offer products at low prices, but buyer receives counterfeit goods or nothing.
  4. Credit cards—Claims of unauthorized use that ask card holders to provide personal information.
  5. Romance Catfishing—Use of fake profiles to build relationships and trick victims into sending money.
  1. Tech support/Ransomware—Claims that your computer has a virus and offers to fix it for a fee with the intent of gaining remote access to your device.
  1. Fake charities—Solicitation of donations, especially after natural disasters.
  2. Identity theft–Stealing personal information to open accounts, apply for loans, or commit other fraudulent activities.
  1. Social media impersonations—Hacked or duplicated false social media accounts that ask friends or followers for money, claiming an emergency or an investment opportunity.

I took a poll of the demon coven to determine which is their favorite scam.  The result was a virtual dead heat between romance and investment scams.  The clear coven preference was either to break the hearts of lonely people or steal retirement savings from those living on fixed incomes.  I feel reassured.

Phishhook, you should pick and choose from the list and target the two Lostlings.

FAKE NEWS. Let’s also focus on fake news because we have a history of success. My personal favorite was the bogus War of the Worlds radio broadcast during the 1930s.  It caused panic all over the U.S. as people worried about the aliens breaking into their houses and vaporizing them with ray guns.  It wasn’t nearly as dramatic, but spreading a rumor that after Walt Disney died his head was cut off and preserved cryogenically for future resuscitation turned a few other heads.  But, today, we have the tools to spread fake news more convincingly and faster.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.

The conventional wisdom is that politicians lie.  Technology can make that happen by mimicking a person’s voice.  After recording just a few sentences of real speech, AI can recreate any voice so that even friends and family can’t tell the difference.  Imagine a Republican congressman’s voice telling his constituents to vote for a Democrat. Or a pseudo-head of the Federal Reserve System crashing the stock market by warning of a serious recession.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Even better if we have manipulated the picture to show exactly the fake news we want to promote.  Using an AI picture generating app, a rank amateur can quickly twist reality to show a natural disaster or a public figure behaving in inappropriate ways.

Social media algorithms partner with us in our work of chaos.  They are designed to maximize the time that customers spend on their sites.  Because people pay more attention to wild and exaggerated claims, the algorithms give them more prominence on the sites.  Fake news of a celebrity death will get a lot more coverage than news of a charitable deed.  The catchword is to produce “clickbait headlines” which are sensational or misleading headlines that attract lots of viewer clicks.

These ideas probably sound like a lot of work, but you really have nothing to do except tempt Lostlings. However, there are other tactics that, once put in place, require little effort.  Employ a BOT (short for robot) to sow discord and misinformation by generating fake reviews and comments.  The advantage of BOTs is that they work 24/7 and need no supervision.  In some cases, a substantial portion of feedback on the Internet is provided by BOTS.  And it’s not as if they just replicate the same message time and time again.  With AI help, the BOT can create an unlimited number of different reviews for a product or restaurant or comments on a topic.  They can be supportive or negative, depending on our purpose.

Finally, in validating fake news, let’s adopt the “Korihor Effect” which is found in one of their holy books.  Korihor was one of our best successes in corrupting an individual, who then corrupted others, and he met a deliciously ignominious end.  Let me refresh your memory with part of one verse.  I’ll provide it so you don’t risk tainting what’s left of your poor soul by reading more of this strangely enticing book:

Alma 31: 53 ….the devil hath deceived me…..and he taught me that which I should Say …. and I

taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true;

and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.

He repeated our lies so often that he convinced himself of their truth.  That’s the Korihor Effect.  The lesson for fake news is that if it is repeated over and over, it gains credibility, and people may ultimately accept it as reality.  Let’s adopt that strategy as we promote even the most audacious falsehoods.

The great thing about fake news is we don’t have to get 100% buy-in. In fact, there may be an advantage if we don’t because of the arguments that result.  If we can sow discord and create contempt, we are well on our way to victory.   As always, be creative.

Your optimistic file leader: Mephisto

TO: Mephisto (666-911-1313)

FROM: Phishhook

Dear Mephisto:

Phishing!  Now I understand the name I was given.  I’ll try to live up to it with my temptation scams for the male Lostling.  I took advantage of his enjoyment of travel with a mean-spirited rental scam.  He received an unsolicited email announcing the availability of a one-bedroom, intimate seaside bungalow on Maui.  The photos showed the ocean, the grounds, and all four rooms, beautifully decorated.  The price was surprisingly low but, of course, such a good deal required that he not delay and pay in full in advance to secure his reservation.  Who could pass?  He took the bait.

If I could feel guilt, I might have as I observed his joy in anticipating his dream vacation.  He booked a flight, rented a car, and drove to the location he had been provided.  I chuckled when it turned out to be a ten-story Marriott. He was surprised but decided to check in anyway. Of course, the hotel desk had no record of his reservation.  He had little choice but to pay peak season rates at the Marriott.  I scammed him and there was no way for him to recover his money.  You would be proud. I rented that bungalow ten times for the same week.  Maybe he made some new friends with his fellow victims.

The female Lostling was an obvious candidate for a romance scam using catfishing.  I sent a text message asking if she would like to have a “texting pal” who was lonely.  She clicked on the link and encountered a very nice man about her age.  They began to text back and forth, exchanged pictures (he (actually, me) was handsome in a mature way), and she found comfort in her new-found friend.

It turned out that he lived in Pennsylvania, and she was in California.  He proposed that they meet, but he was temporarily short of funds because his retirement CDs didn’t mature for three months. Would she loan him the $600 for a plane ticket?   Later, he gave her his flight times and she was to meet him at the airport.  Do I need to say more?

Then I moved to step two.  He texted that he injured himself and missed his flight.  He told her that his medical bill at the ER was several thousand dollars.  Could she help? Score two for our team.  Human loneliness is so powerful in clouding their judgement and it makes them so vulnerable.

Regarding fake news, I’ve got a couple of great ideas.  One is to spread the rumor that Taylor Swift has been drafted to play football for the Kansas City Chiefs and will play alongside Travis Kelce.  The other is that the famous Delicate Arch in Utah was damaged by an early morning tourist helicopter that got too close. I generated some compelling sample AI images which are shown below. What do you think?

Your excited minion Phishhook 

TO: Phishhook (101-001-1010)    URGENT

FROM: Mephisto

You get the scammer award of the month, and the Delicate Arch fake news is spot on. The non-existent collision occurs in the early morning in a remote area so it can’t quickly be dismissed. It should cause temporary consternation because the arch is iconic.  But Nix on the Taylor Swift idea because it’s not at all credible.  The Chiefs would never take a chance on a 35-year-old rookie.

Your mostly satisfied File Leader: Mephisto

TO: CK (110-111-1000)

FROM: Clarion Veridiel

Online scams are becoming more common and effective as technology evolves. Here are some basics I recommend to protect against them:

  1. Be skeptical of anything that is unsolicited. Don’t click on links or download attachments.
  2. Look for misspellings, poor grammar, or anything that looks odd.
  3. Contact companies directly using their official contact information.
  4. Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor identification, where possible.
  5. Urgent threats and deadlines are a red flag.
  6. If it sounds too good to be true, then ……….
  7. Be careful about sharing personal data online.

There are also keys to avoid being misled by fake news:

  1. Make sure the information comes from a reputable source.
  2. Look for the same story on other reliable news outlets. Be skeptical of single source reporting.
  3. Research the author’s credentials.
  4. Remember that digital technology makes it easy to alter or fabricate photos.
  5. Sites like Snopes, FactCheck.org, or Reuters Fact Check can help verify claims. 

Your loving servant: Clarion Veridiel

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Scams are so much more sophisticated now.  I used to get phone calls from a young person saying, “Grandpa, I’ve been hurt in an accident, and I need money.”  When I asked which of my grandchildren was calling, they often stammered and then said “John.”  I’m getting older, but I’m pretty sure there are no Johns among our grandchildren.  Call ended.  Today, that same call could involve an AI generated exact copy of one of my family’s voices and would make a fabricated problem seem real. This is our reality.

Yes, the Taylor Swift pic is a bit over the top.   I included it to show how easy it is to create visual fake news.  The picture took me about five minutes on a readily available AI image generator. It required several iterations because Taylor didn’t have very good tackling skills.

The 10th Screwtape Message differs a bit from the first ten. The topic will be “political religion.”  It’s a little less focused on technology and more about the deep divisions in society and how Mephisto proposes to exploit them.