ABBank warns of security risks from AI portrait trends

An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ABBank) has issued an urgent warning regarding security risks associated with the trend of using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform portrait photos into 1980s-style images.

The bank cautioned that uploading personal photos to unverified AI tools could lead to data leaks, identity theft, and deepfake fraud. These images may be stored or processed without user control, potentially being used to create fraudulent videos. Additionally, personal photos may inadvertently contain sensitive information such as ID cards, employee badges, license plates, or addresses.

To mitigate these risks, ABBank recommends using only reputable AI tools with transparent data protection policies and avoiding the upload of images containing identification documents. Users are also advised to be cautious of suspicious links, unofficial applications, and files with double extensions like ".mp4.exe". The bank emphasized that it will never request passwords, OTP codes, or facial authentication via links, messages, or calls.