A new trend on social networks that is attracting the attention of many users is downloading personal photos and requesting artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create cartoons based on all information AI knows about users.
However, experts warn that this seemingly harmless trend may inadvertently provide data to cybercriminals and increase the risk of online fraud.
On platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn or X, many users share personal photos and ask AI to create illustrations of their lives.
The result is often animated images showing the person at the office, at home, or associated with their profession. This content quickly spread due to its creativity, humor, and ease of sharing.
However, according to Adrian Hia - CEO of the Asia-Pacific region of Kaspersky (the world's leading security and antivirus software brand), requests like "creating cartoons about me based on everything you know about me" are not simply an image filter.
To create more accurate results, users often provide a lot of personal information such as name, job title, company, city of residence, daily habits or even family details.
Dr. Sanjay Katkar - co-CEO of Quick Heal Technologies Limited (India's leading information technology company) - said that many people do not realize that the cartoon is actually the result of a data synthesis process.
Just one photo can reveal the face, estimated age, ethnicity or background of the workplace or residence.
When combined with personal information provided by the user in the command, AI can create a fairly complete "digital profile" of an individual in just a few seconds.
According to cybersecurity expert Anurag Mathur (India), combining personal images with context information increases the risk of being impersonated or scammed.
If thieves collect photos and professional information, they can create fake social media accounts or create fake professional profiles on many different platforms. Images can also be used to create fake videos or voices (deepfake).
Not stopping there, if the scammer knows the job title and position of a person in the organization, they can impersonate the victim to send emails or messages requesting money transfers, providing internal data to colleagues or subordinates.
Similarly, if there is information about the family, fraudsters can create fake emergency situations to manipulate emotions and request financial support.
Experts believe that the greatest value of these data lies in the fact that they help cybercriminals save time collecting information.
Usually, they have to search for data from many public sources such as LinkedIn, Instagram or data leaks. But with AI trends, users automatically synthesize and provide all that information in one interaction.
In addition, when using AI platforms, not only the last image is shared. Depending on the service policy, data such as original images, command content, usage history or technical information such as IP addresses and devices can also be stored. This means that the content can last longer than users think.
Experts recommend that users should limit the provision of personal identification information when using AI tools.
Avoid downloading photos containing company logos, papers, license plates or easily recognizable locations. Do not share information about minors or family details.
At the same time, you should carefully read the platform's security policy before using it and consider turning off the chat history save feature if possible.
The trend of creating cartoons with AI can bring interesting experiences, but users need to understand that every piece of information shared can become a piece to help cybercriminals build their personal profiles.
