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‘New opportunities for fraudsters’: Alarming report reveals AI chatbots are doxxing users’ real phone numbers

Nypost · · 723 words · By Marissa Matozzo
AI Privacy Risks Corporate accountability Cybercrime and Fraud
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/14/tech/report-reveals-ai-chatbots-are-doxxing-users-…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Appeal to Fear 80% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified 1
info
“bots like Google Gemini and OpenAI ChatGPT surface personal contact information without consent”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are generic landing pages for Gemini and ChatGPT and do not provide evidence of the claim. However, evidence for Claim 4 mentions DeleteMe's Shavell discussing AI chatbots giving out real phone numbers, which supports the general premise, but there is no multi-source corroboration for the specific pairing of Gemini and ChatGPT in this context within the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — Meet Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. Get help with writing, planning, brainstorming, and more. Experience the power of generative AI.
https://gemini.google.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Google. Sign in. Use your Google Account. Email or phone.
http://gemini.google/
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web search NEUTRAL — The ChatGPT app syncs your conversations, supports voice input, and brings our latest model improvements to your fingertips.Since the release of ChatGPT, we've heard from users that they love using Ch…
https://openai.com/index/introducing-the-chatgpt-app-for-ios…
info
“Virgin Media O2 also recently reported that scammers are planting fake customer-service numbers online for AI chatbots to regurgitate back to users”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of Verizon login and support pages, which are completely irrelevant to Virgin Media O2 or AI chatbot scams.
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web search NEUTRAL — Recover your Verizon Account password, simply and easily with your Verizon User ID or Verizon mobile number. You can also pay on your wireless or in home account directly
https://accessmgrqa2.verizonwireless.com/account/forgot-pass…
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web search NEUTRAL — Signing in to the My Verizon website lets you access a central hub to manage your experience, monitor your account details, connect to support and make the most of your Verizon services.
https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-41025/
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web search NEUTRAL — Top Device Brands Support About Verizon Most Popular Apple iPhone 17 Apple iPhone 17e Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Apple AirPods Max Disney+, Hulu, & ESPN+ (With Ads) Apple Watch Series 11 Fios Verizon Vi…
https://www.verizon.com/featured/intent/?intent=paybill
info
“MIT Technology Review reported that Gemini mistakenly listed Israeli software engineer Daniel Abraham’s personal number as customer support for a payment app”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of generic Google Gemini landing pages and app store descriptions; there is no mention of Daniel Abraham or the MIT Technology Review report.
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web search NEUTRAL — Meet Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. Get help with writing, planning, brainstorming, and more. Experience the power of generative AI.
https://gemini.google.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Google. Sign in. Use your Google Account. Email or phone.
http://gemini.google/
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web search NEUTRAL — Gemini in Google AI Ultra includes additional benefits as part of a Google AI Ultra subscription. Google AI Ultra for Business is available as an add-on to Google Workspace customers.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and…
info
“researchers at the University of Washington discovered Gemini could expose personal contact info”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of generic Gemini landing pages and a guide on how to disable Gemini, with no mention of University of Washington researchers.
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web search NEUTRAL — Meet Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. Get help with writing, planning, brainstorming, and more. Experience the power of generative AI.
https://gemini.google.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Google. Sign in. Use your Google Account. Email or phone.
http://gemini.google/
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web search NEUTRAL — Google Photos has separate settings you’ll need to navigate and disable to ensure that Gemini AI isn’t lurking in your photos. Open the Google Photos App. Click on your profile icon.
https://tuta.com/blog/how-to-disable-gemini-on-android
info
“DeleteMe CEO Rob Shavell told the outlet that complaints about AI exposing personal data have surged recently, with customers reporting chatbots revealing “accurate home addresses, phone numbers, family members’ names, or employer details.””
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly mentions 'AI chatbots are giving out people’s real phone numbers' and quotes 'DeleteMe’s Shavell' regarding the fundamental problems with chatbots and the exposure of information.
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web search NEUTRAL — This reveals one of the fundamental problems with chatbots, says DeleteMe’s Shavell. AI companies “can build in guardrails, but [their chatbots] are also designed to be effective and to answer custome…
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/13/1137203/ai-chatb…
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web search NEUTRAL — DeleteMe provides an essential service in this modern world. I greatly appreciate my increasing peace of mind due to the focused work by DeleteMe. The company provides clearly written progress reports…
https://joindeleteme.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Full name, address, phone number, and email; Business profiles and online databases; Exposed credentialsSubmit your request; We scan and analyze your digital footprint; You receive a detailed report; …
https://www.deleteme.com/
info
“A spokesperson for Google told MIT Technology Review the company has safeguards in place to prevent personal information from appearing in AI features”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided discusses disabling Gemini and general safeguards in Google Cloud, but does not contain a specific statement from a spokesperson to MIT Technology Review regarding personal information safeguards.
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web search NEUTRAL — Google Photos has separate settings you’ll need to navigate and disable to ensure that Gemini AI isn’t lurking in your photos. Open the Google Photos App. Click on your profile icon.
https://tuta.com/blog/how-to-disable-gemini-on-android
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web search NEUTRAL — Google reintroduces its AI-generated people feature in Gemini after resolving key ethical and technical issues. Discover how these improvements aim to ensure responsible AI use.
https://startnetx.in/google-restores-geminis-ai-generated-pe…
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web search NEUTRAL — AI-Augmented Development for Defense Evasion: AI-driven coding has accelerated the development of infrastructure suites and polymorphic malware by adversaries.Google enhances our products’ safeguards …
https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/ai-…
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“Long Island officials recently warned that fraudsters are using AI voice-cloning tools to impersonate victims’ grandchildren in desperate phone calls targeting seniors”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm this: one source explicitly mentions Long Island officials warning about AI-simulated grandkids, and another mentions Westchester County's Consumer Protection Director warning about the same 'grandparent scam' using AI voice cloning.
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web search NEUTRAL — Scammers are robbing Long Island's elderly out of millions with a new high tech scam that uses AI to impersonate their grandkids.
https://nypost.com/2025/05/23/us-news/long-island-officials-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Westchester County's Consumer Protection Director James Maisano warns that scammers are using AI to impersonate grandchildren in distress, demanding immediate financial assistance.
https://westchester.news12.com/ai-voice-cloning-fuels-rise-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — Scammers are robbing Long Island's elderly out of millions with a new high tech scam that uses AI to impersonate their grandkids.AIsimulated grandkids impersonate Island Long officials rip scam Senior…
https://www.thenewyorktoday.com/lengthy-island-officers-warn…
verified
“The scammers allegedly scour TikTok and other social media platforms for videos of young people speaking, then use the audio to generate realistic fake voices”
VERIFIED
The web search result 'Long Island officials warn new scam uses TikTok and AI-simulated...' directly links the use of TikTok and AI-simulated voices to the scam targeting seniors.
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web search NEUTRAL — On this episode of our podcast, we’ll define fraud, explain why and how the FBI investigates it, share tips for protecting yourself from scammers, and teach you how to report suspected frauds ...
https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/com…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 20, 2024 · Scammers often use new technology, such as AI, to enhance tried-and-true scams. Learn about the latest twists and types of attacks, and what you can do to stay safe in 2025.
https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/the-latest-scams…
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web search NEUTRAL — Our resources can help you prevent, recognize, and report scams and fraud. Scams are constantly changing. You can protect yourself by knowing what to look out for. Read more. Identity theft occurs whe…
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/fraud/
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.