# AI impersonations could land Australians with debts they never incurred

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-terrifying-new-ai-scam-that-could-leave-australians-thousands-of-dollars-in-debt-how-criminals-can-steal-your-face-to-create-a-digital-twin-and-you-may-not-know-until-the-bills-arrive/
- Published: 2026-10-24T08:21:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T08:32:20+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16228623/The-terrifying-new-AI-scam-leave-Australians-thousands-dollars-debt-criminals-steal-face-create-digital-twin-you-not-know-bills-arrive.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: AI, Horror, Technology, World

## Key points

- AI can help criminals create convincing digital identities.
- Stolen identities may be used to take out loans or credit.
- Victims could discover the fraud when bills arrive.

## Summary

Former Google executive Richard Mallam has warned that criminals can use AI to build digital impersonations from people’s social media images, leaked personal details and short voice recordings. These fake identities could be used to apply for loans, credit cards, vehicle leases and other services, leaving victims to discover the fraud only when bills or debt notices arrive.

Mallam said banks and superannuation funds were receiving thousands of fraudulent calls each week from AI bots attempting to take over customer accounts. He warned that scammers can reach far more people at once with AI, and urged Australians not to engage with suspected scammers by phone because recordings of their voices could be misused. He also said government services such as Medicare and the tax office may be attractive targets because they hold sensitive information.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.