When AI Scams Use Your Name: A Strange Flattery

Jan de Vries · 2026-06-02

It's a weird feeling, isn't it? You're scrolling through your inbox or social media, and you see your own name staring back at you. Not from a friend or a colleague, but from some random message that feels... off. That's the strange flattery of having your name used in an AI scam. Author RR Haywood recently explored how these scams are getting more personal, more sophisticated, and a whole lot harder to spot. You might think you'd never fall for it. But these aren't the clunky phishing emails from a decade ago. We're talking about messages that sound like they were written by someone who knows you—because in a way, they do. AI can now scrape public data, mimic writing styles, and even replicate voices. It's not just about stealing your credit card number anymore. It's about stealing your trust. ### How AI Scams Are Evolving Let's break down what's changed. First, the personalization is next-level. Scammers use AI to pull your name, job title, and even recent activities from public sources. They'll craft an email that sounds like it's from your boss, your bank, or that vendor you just hired. The tone is natural, the grammar is perfect, and the urgency feels real. Second, they're using AI to create fake audio and video. Imagine getting a voicemail from a "family member" asking for money because they're stranded. That voice? It's not real. It's a synthetic clone made from a few seconds of audio scraped from social media. In the US, these scams have cost people thousands of dollars. Third, the detection is harder. Traditional spam filters catch obvious junk, but AI-generated text can slip through. It's like trying to spot a counterfeit bill that's been printed on real currency paper. You need a magnifying glass, and even then, you might miss it. ### What You Can Do to Protect Yourself So how do you stay safe? It starts with a healthy dose of skepticism. Here are a few practical steps: - **Verify through another channel.** If you get a strange request from a friend or colleague, call them. Don't reply to the email or message. Use a number you know is theirs. - **Check for inconsistencies.** AI is good, but it's not perfect. Look for subtle errors in tone or facts that don't add up. A real friend might use a nickname you hate. A real boss wouldn't ask for a gift card. - **Limit what you share online.** Public profiles are gold mines for scammers. Keep your birthday, location, and job details private. Think twice before posting that "just got a new job" update. - **Use multi-factor authentication.** It's a pain, but it's a lifesaver. Even if a scammer gets your password, they can't get in without that second code. ### The Emotional Side of Being Targeted There's also an emotional layer here. When you realize your name was used, it feels invasive. Like someone walked through your digital front door without knocking. You might feel flattered that they thought you were worth targeting, but that's a trap. The real feeling should be anger—and vigilance. I've had clients who almost fell for these. One guy got an email that looked exactly like a receipt from a software he uses. It said his subscription was renewing at $499.99. He panicked, clicked the link, and entered his credit card info. The only thing that saved him was his bank flagging the transaction. That $500 was almost gone. ### Why This Matters for Businesses For professionals in the US startup world, this is a growing threat. Scammers are targeting founders, investors, and employees with fake invoices, fake job offers, and fake partnership requests. They know you're busy and likely to click without thinking. So here's the bottom line: Treat every unexpected message like a stranger at your door. Be polite, but don't let them in until you've checked their ID. And remember, having your name used in a scam isn't flattery—it's a warning. Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and when in doubt, hang up and call back on a number you trust.