76 cyber scams in six months: how criminals use artificial intelligence to drain accounts in Puerto Rico

The Cybercriminal Investigations Unit of Puerto Rico's Department of Justice reported 76 cases of digital fraud during the first six months of 2026, a surge authorities attribute to criminals' growing use of artificial intelligence to perfect techniques that can drain bank accounts in a matter of minutes ¹.

Of the 76 reported victims, at least 15 are elderly adults -- the demographic group scammers deliberately isolate from family support before systematizing financial transfers through gift cards, money orders, and untraceable international phone numbers ¹.

The most common methods

Prosecutor Naydik Ramos Montesinos, director of the Cybercriminal Investigations Unit, detailed the most frequent schemes ¹:

Fake court citations via text. Scammers send SMS messages posing as courts, embedding malicious links that install software capable of capturing banking credentials.

Bank impersonation. Text messages warn about supposed card blocks and request passwords, account numbers, and verification codes.

AutoExpreso toll fraud. Texts claim nonexistent debts for unpaid tolls, directing victims to fake pages that harvest financial data.

Virtual kidnapping. Callers claim a family member has been kidnapped and demand immediate payment, often using AI-generated voices to sound convincing.

AI-powered social media scams. In one documented case, a victim lost $4,500 through TikTok after falling for a scheme using AI-fabricated profiles. In another, a person handed over $1,300 in gift cards to an impostor posing as actor Keanu Reeves ¹.

According to Ramos Montesinos, the primary red flag is "a very good offer, below half price, promising profit margins that triple the investment" ¹.

The role of artificial intelligence

What sets the 2026 wave apart from previous years is the sophistication AI adds to these operations. Scammers generate synthetic voices that mimic relatives, create hyperrealistic social media profiles, and draft messages free of the grammatical errors that once served as telltale signs of fraud. The technical barrier to executing these scams has dropped dramatically, explaining the growing case volume.

At the federal level, the FBI's IC3 reported digital fraud losses of $16.6 billion across the United States in 2024, with more than $50 billion accumulated over the 2020-2024 period ². Puerto Rico is not exempt from that trend.

What this means for you

If you have a cellphone and a bank account, you are a potential target. Scammers no longer need advanced technical skills: generative AI tools let them create fake messages, voices, and websites almost instantly. Older adults are the most vulnerable, but no one is exempt.

How to protect yourself: Checklist

1. Never click links in unsolicited texts. Courts, banks, and AutoExpreso will never request sensitive data via SMS.
2. Never share passwords, verification codes, or account numbers by phone, text, or email.
3. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all banking and email accounts.
4. Establish a family code word to confirm real emergencies and rule out virtual kidnapping attempts.
5. Update security software on your phone and computer.
6. Be skeptical of deals that seem too good on social media, especially if they request payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency.
7. Preserve all evidence if you become a victim: screenshots, messages, phone numbers, and transaction receipts.
8. Report immediately. Call 787-729-2444 (Department of Justice) or file a complaint with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov.

What comes next

The Cybercriminal Investigations Unit expects case volume to continue rising in the second half of 2026, particularly during hurricane season. Authorities are evaluating public education campaigns focused on elderly adults and rural communities.

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Sources ¹ Primera Hora, July 23, 2026 ² FBI IC3, 2024 Annual Report