Deepfakes refer to audio or video content that has been digitally manipulated using AI (Artificial Intelligence) deep learning to convincingly imitate a person’s face, voice, or behavior. While this technology has legitimate applications, it is increasingly being exploited by scammers to impersonate individuals—such as corporate executives during video calls—to deceive others and commit fraud. These scams can lead to financial loss, reputational damage, or misinformation, and similar cases have already occurred in Macau.

5 Tips to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Scams:

1. Stay Alert:
   • Always be cautious of videos and audio you receive online. Seeing is not believing. Treat unexpected or suspicious content with skepticism.
2. Verify Through Multiple Sources:
   • Check if the information is reported by other reliable sources, such as official channels or reputable news outlets. If it comes from only one source, it may be fabricated.
3. Watch for Irregularities:
   • Even though deepfakes are becoming more realistic, there are still telltale signs.
     • Facial expressions or lip-syncing that don’t match the audio
     • Unnatural movements or gestures
     • Unusual voice pitch or inconsistent tone
     • Skin tone or lighting that looks off or unnatural
       These can all indicate manipulated media.
4. Be Extra Cautious with Money Requests:
   • If you receive urgent instructions to transfer money—especially from a supposed boss or family member—pause and verify their identity directly, preferably through another channel like a phone call.
5. Hang up on unknown video/voice invitations:
   • If you receive a call or video conference invitation from an unknown number, especially if the caller claims an identity but you can’t immediately verify it, hang up immediately to avoid falling into a Deepfake scam. If the person continues to harass you or makes you feel uncomfortable, consider blocking that number/user account to protect yourself.

Deepfake technology poses real threats, but with awareness and careful verification, you can protect yourself. If you suspect you’ve encountered a deepfake scam, report it to the police or seek assistance immediately.

Information security is essential for protecting our personal data and the university’s confidential information. We need to work together to ensure our data and privacy are not threatened. Here are some security tips to help everyone to maintain campus information security:

1. Protect Information Security:
   • Do not engage in or attempt any actions that could harm the information security of any network, information, or communication systems or facilities within or outside the university.
2. Maintain Security Measures:
   • Do not disable, interfere with, or remove security measures of information and communication systems or facilities on campus without authorization.
3. Use Software Legally:
   • Ensure all software is legally obtained and has the necessary licenses. Unauthorized software should be removed immediately.
4. Ensure Authorized Access:
   • Use authorized accounts to access any computer systems within or outside the campus. Do not use unauthorized accounts or impersonate others.
5. Follow Account and Password Guidelines:
   • Keep passwords secure, do not write them down where others can easily access or see them, change them regularly, use strong passwords, and enable two-factor authentication for added protection.
6. Comply with University Policies and Macau Laws:
   • Be aware of and comply with relevant policies and regulations, such as the “Acceptable Use Policy on ICTO Computing Facilities, Campus Network and Internet”, “University Policy on Use of Computer Software within Campus”, “Law on Combating Computer Crime” and “Personal Data Protection Act”.

Please be reminded that any illegal actions, whether intentional or unintentional, will lead to serious consequences for both individuals and the university, and result in legal liability.

In today’s digital age, protection of personal data is becoming more important. Identity theft can lead to financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal liability. Therefore, we must take appropriate measures to protect personal data and avoid identity theft. At the same time, it is equally important to protect others’ identities to prevent yourself and others from unnecessary losses and troubles. Here are some effective tips:

1. Encrypt data and timely erase unused data:
   • Ensure confidential data is handled as required by the “Guidelines for Handling Confidential Information”.
2. Transmit and share data carefully:
   • Before sending/replying/forwarding an email, please review the recipients’ email addresses, email content, attachments and ensure they are correct. Besides, when you share the data through computer systems, please check if the system permissions are set correctly.
3. Enable 2FA and use strong passwords:
   • Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and strong passwords, and set different passwords for different accounts.
4. Update systems and enable anti-virus software:
   • Keep operating systems, browsers, and software updated, enable real-time protection, and regularly scan with anti-virus software.
5. Be cautious when using public WiFi and computers:
   • Please assume that public WiFi and computers are not secure. Avoid handling personal data or conducting banking transactions when connecting to public networks or using public computers.

Moreover, beware of phishing scams. Not only money, personal data is also one of the targets of the scammers. Please be vigilant.

Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms provide users with a variety of powerful tools and services that can help them to accomplish a variety of tasks, from data analysis to machine learning. However, there are some security risks to be aware of when using public AI platforms.

Below are some security tips to protect your data and privacy:

1. Choose a reputable platform: Choose a platform with good reputation and research its security and compliance record.
2. Understand the platform’s privacy policy: Read the platform’s privacy policy before using it. Understand how the platform collects, uses and shares your data.
3. Be careful of what you share: Only share the data you need to complete your tasks. Avoid sharing any sensitive, confidential data, unpublished work information or research results.
4. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication: Create strong passwords for your accounts and enable two-factor authentication.
5. Beware of phishing and scams: Do not click on suspicious links or enter your account information on unverified websites.
6. Keep your software up to date: Keep your operating system and AI platform software up to date.
7. Report suspicious activity: If you notice any suspicious activity, report it to the AI platform’s support team immediately.

By following these security tips, you can help protect your data and privacy while using public AI platforms. If you need further information on “AI privacy” and “Data Anonymization Processing”,  you can refer to the relevant information published by the Personal Data Protection Bureau (PDPB): https://www.dspdp.gov.mo/en/references_detail/article/kzw3p0kz.html

To: All Users

Online services have become an indispensable part in our daily life, thus making Internet scams more prevalent and widespread, covering a wide range of areas such as shopping, job hunting, investing, charity, lottery, etc. There is a Cantonese saying, “An old trick is fine, as long as it works” implying that many traditional scams are repackaged in new forms and carried out on the Internet or over the phone. The tactics are constantly changing, making it hard for people to protect.

However, all scams have a common goal, whether they are tricking users to give their account numbers, passwords or personal information, the ultimate goal is money. As long as you raise your security awareness and always “fact‑check”, you can reduce the risk of being scammed. Remember the three key principles to prevent fraud:

1. Stay calm and don’t be flustered: Fraudsters often use threatening words over phone, text messages or emails to cause victims to lose their composure and fall into their trap, especially if they claim themselves to be law enforcement, government or bank officials. Just stop and think! Try to buy time to verify the truth of the matter or consult with family and friends.
2. Don’t be greedy: Never let the mentality of “Fear of missing out” to blind your judgment. There’s no free lunch in the world. If there’s any promotional sale or investment opportunity, make sure to understand it clearly and verify its authenticity to avoid losing more than you gain.
3. Never casually disclose personal information: Personal information is equivalent to money. You should not reveal your personal information casually, as it is not just your data that can ultimately be stolen, but your personal identity, which can then be used to defraud money or engage in illegal activities.

Pay more attention to anti-fraud information and naturally raise your anti-fraud awareness, so that you won’t give fraudsters an opportunity to take advantage. The following are some examples of scam messages:

Pretending to be an instant messaging software notification, with disturbing words. But one thing to note is that the “w” letter in URL is actually impersonated by two “v” letters.

Suspicious text messages from strangers. Scammers may use social engineering scams to carry out all kinds of fraud, they will use the tactic of “played the long game” and communicate with the victim for a long time to win their favor, which means to defraud a large amount of money.

Compromising verification codes is a common method of hijacking other people’s accounts, including communication software, bank transfers, etc. Verification codes are used for personal identity verification or account operation verification, which is a matter of personal privacy, and should not be disclosed. Actually, using someone else’s phone number for verification is completely unreasonable, and the sender’s account may have been compromised.