BBB Warns Businesses About New AI Scams: Shadow AI, Prompt Injection and Deepfakes
Artificial intelligence is helping East Texas businesses write emails, answer customers and save hours every week. But the same tools are giving scammers new ways in. Better Business Bureau East Texas is urging business owners and their employees to learn the newest AI-related threats and take a few simple steps to protect their companies.
In a recent Nationwide survey, one in four small business owners said they had been targeted by an AI-driven scam, including email, voice or video impersonations of senior employees. And the costs are climbing. IBM’s 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Study found that one in four malicious breaches is now AI-enabled, costing companies an average of $6 million.
“AI isn’t going away, and most of us are still figuring it out as we go,” said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas. “The good news is that a few simple habits, like knowing which tools your team is using and slowing down before you send money, can stop a lot of these scams before they start.”
BBB offers the following tips:
Watch out for shadow AI. Shadow AI happens when employees use AI tools the company hasn’t approved, usually with the best intentions. The risk comes when customer records, financial details or passwords get pasted into a tool with unknown data practices. In IBM’s 2025 study, one in five organizations reported a breach tied to shadow AI. Create a simple AI policy which lists approved tools and spells out what should never be shared. Then ask your team what they’re already using; you may be surprised.
Guard against prompt injection. Scammers can hide instructions inside emails, web pages or documents. When an AI assistant reads that content, it may follow the hidden instructions instead of yours, leaking information or taking actions you never approved. The OWASP Foundation, a nonprofit security organization, ranks prompt injection as the top security risk for AI applications. Limit what your AI tools can access, think carefully before connecting them to email, files or payment systems, and have a person review anything that moves money or data.
Be watchful for deepfakes. AI can now clone a voice from a short audio clip and create convincing video. In 2024, an employee at global engineering firm Arup transferred about $25 million after a video call with what appeared to be the company’s chief financial officer and other colleagues. Every one of them was a deepfake. Agree on a code word with your team for urgent requests, and treat pressure, secrecy and unusual payment requests as red flags, no matter who seems to be asking.
Download AI tools only from trusted sources. Cybercriminals are disguising malware as popular AI apps. Kaspersky detected more than 33,000 attacks on small and midsize business users between January and April 2026 in which malicious software posed as well-known AI services. Download apps only from official websites or app stores, and check with your IT provider before installing anything new.
Want to go deeper? BBB recently hosted a cybersecurity workshop with Justin Huffaker, President of Acta MSP, a Datamax company, as part of its Lunch.Learn.Lead. series. The recording is available on the BBB East Texas YouTube channel.
If you’ve been targeted by a scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. For more tips on how to be a savvy business owner, go to bbb.org. To report fraudulent activity or unscrupulous business practices, call BBB at 903-581-5704.
About BBB: BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Most BBB services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.3 million companies, 11,000 charity reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Visit bbb.org for more information. There are over 100 local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Central East Texas, which was founded in 1985 and serves 19 counties.
Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas | PO Box 6652, Tyler, TX 75711 | (903) 581-5704 | bbb.org