German police and consumer groups warn of AI‑powered fraud surge

The Landeskriminalamt (LKA) and the Verbraucherzentrale Rheinland‑Pfalz have issued a joint warning that artificial‑intelligence tools are making fraud schemes increasingly convincing. Scammers can now create deep‑fake voices, fabricated images and synthetic videos that mimic trusted contacts, enabling five typical scams: love‑scams on dating sites, sextortion with manipulated nude images, deep‑fake celebrity investment pitches, AI‑enhanced phishing emails, and "shock" phone calls using cloned voices.

Victims are advised to stay calm, verify identities through known numbers, never share passwords or financial details, and adopt a family “code‑word” for emergency requests. The police are also testing an AI‑based deep‑fake detector to improve digital investigations.

National statistics underline the threat: in June 2026 Germany recorded 626 555 phone‑fraud cases, a 19.5 % rise from the previous month, with tactics such as call‑ID spoofing and the so‑called “yes‑trick” used to extract TAN codes. The surge coincides with banking system changes that criminals exploit, prompting authorities to urge heightened vigilance across the population.