The FBI says artificial intelligence is playing a major role in a sharp rise in internet crimes reported across Arizona. Federal authorities report that AI was connected to more than 9,000 complaints submitted to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center during the first seven months of 2025. Investigators say criminals are increasingly using advanced technology to make scams more effective and harder to detect.
Cybersecurity expert Tim Roemer said it was inevitable that bad actors would begin using AI to automate scams and create messages that appear highly legitimate. He explained that AI tools now handle much of the work for cybercriminals, making fraudulent emails, texts, and phone calls more convincing and increasing the likelihood that victims will click links, send money, or share personal information.
One common scam involves callers pretending to be a relative who claims to be in serious trouble and urgently needs money. Another frequently reported scheme uses technology to make phone calls appear as though they are coming from official FBI phone numbers. Roemer said the quality of phishing emails and scam messages has dramatically improved with AI, noting that past scams were often easy to spot because of obvious grammar mistakes or awkward wording. Today, AI-generated messages can closely imitate real communications.
Roemer added that many people now use AI tools themselves to help write emails and messages, which makes it even harder to tell the difference between legitimate communication and fraud. As AI becomes more common, determining whether a message is genuine or created by a scammer has grown increasingly difficult.
Arizona’s rapid population and economic growth, particularly in the Phoenix area, has also made the state a more attractive target for cybercriminals. Roemer said scammers often focus on large organizations and high-value industries such as healthcare systems and critical infrastructure, which store sensitive data and financial information. He described Arizona’s growth as a positive sign but warned that it also brings increased security risks that residents and businesses must remain vigilant about.
Authorities stressed that the FBI and other government agencies will never call people to demand money or threaten arrest during routine investigations. Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam is encouraged to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and contact local law enforcement or cybersecurity professionals for assistance. Officials say reporting scams helps investigators track trends and warn others before more people are affected.
Source: AZFamily
