It is rare that this edit space cites overseas reports to make a point. Yet we live in a connected world, with global news and situations now seeming close to home and resonating with us. In this context, a report about Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and a scammed fan shows us the importance of staying ahead of the con game and the way new technology can be a double-edged sword that can help millions in many ways and also be misused by the devious to pull off sophisticated fraud.

The victim, a 53-year-old French woman, was duped of $8,50,000 by a scammer using artificial intelligence (AI). The perpetrator impersonated Pitt’s voice with the help of AI. To cut a long story short, the woman was conned into sending across a vast sum of money for the ‘actor’s medical treatment’.