Deepfakes are flooding retailers as part of scammers' return fraud operations

Three in 10 fraud attempts targeting major retailers are now AI generated, according to estimates from deepfake detection firm Pindrop.

Why it matters: Heading into the holiday shopping season, scammers and hackers are using deepfakes to trick employees of corporate retailers and steal thousands of dollars per attack, on average.

The big picture: Cybercriminals are increasingly using deepfake technologies to impersonate loved ones, colleagues and customers. • Scammers are training AI-powered bots to call customer-service centers, report an issue with a recent order, and demand a refund, Pindrop CEO Vijay Balasubramaniyan told Axios. • "These bots are probing all of these systems all over the world and figuring out which is the weakest link," Balasubramaniyan said.

By the numbers: On