Even if you haven't been a victim of it, you've probably heard of the "grandparent scam"... A supposed close relative calls an elderly person's phone. It's usually a "grandchild."

It's Getting Hard to Avoid AI in Crime By Joe Austin, senior analyst, Chaikin Analytics Even if you haven't been a victim of it, you've probably heard of the "grandparent scam"... A supposed close relative calls an elderly person's phone. It's usually a "grandchild." They might say they've been in a car accident. There were serious injuries involved. The police found drugs in the car – so they arrest the "grandchild." That means the "grandchild" needs bail money... and they need it fast. In some cases, a "police officer" is even standing by to tell the call recipient where to send the money. It's heart-wrenching for these call recipients to hear their panicked "grandchildren" on the phone. They sound desperate for help. But it's a complete scam. The caller sounds like a real relative. But scammers have used AI to clone their voices. They scraped social media accounts to do so – and to connect themselves to their targets. There are versions of this scam all across the globe. And while it has been around for years, it's still meeting success... Recommended Links: Until Midnight: The Best Case for Gold... Ever Gold just hit another all-time high, breaking $3,300 an ounce – but history shows it could be on the verge of its biggest bull run in more than half a century... triggered by a likely major event, eerily similar to what happened in the 1970s. Today, 30-year market veteran Dan Ferris believes you MUST own shares of his No. 1 gold stock. He says it's likely better than any miner, explorer, or exchange-traded fund on Earth. It's the centerpiece of his full plan for this brutal market, with extraordinary upside potential. Until midnight tonight, see this critical gold update here. First Look: The $3,500 iPhone Rather than bring jobs back to the U.S., President Donald Trump's tariffs could instead take millions of jobs away... and replace them with a single powerful new technology that PwC estimates could be worth as much as $16 trillion. Stansberry Research sent a camera crew halfway across the country to get to the bottom of this story. See the shocking findings here. AI Scamming Isn't Going Away Just last month, federal prosecutors charged 25 Canadians with taking $21 million from elderly victims across 40 U.S. states. But there's no end in sight. Setting up this kind of crime is easier than you think. It only takes about 30 seconds of audio from a social media site to make a good clone of a person's voice. And versions of the scam have even gone corporate. In 2019, the CEO of a Britain-based energy company thought he was on the phone with the CEO of his company's German parent. The caller wanted him to wire €220,000 to a Hungarian supplier.  And the caller needed the money fast – within an hour. The junior CEO could do it – and he did. The next year in Hong Kong, the branch manager of a Japanese company received a phone call from his "boss" with good news – the company was making an acquisition. To get the ball rolling, the branch manager needed to wire $35 million to an attorney in New York named "Martin Zelner." The branch manager's "boss" told him to check his e-mail. He saw messages from both his "boss" and "Martin Zelner" with instructions on where to send the money. In this case, the scammers were stealing the attorney's identity, too... A "Martin Zelner" does practice law in New York, but the bank account details weren't his. And he wasn't a part of the scam. Investigators eventually discovered that it was part of a sophisticated operation based out of the UAE. And it targeted at least 17 individuals across the globe. Opportunity Amid a Dark Side to AI Folks often cite efficiency and productivity as big benefits of AI. But AI has made criminals more efficient and productive, too. As European law enforcement agency Europol noted in a recent "threat assessment" report...  The very qualities that make AI revolutionary – accessibility, versatility, and sophistication – have made it an attractive tool for criminals. But where there's trouble, there's also opportunity... The world isn't going to take this sitting down. And if you haven't thought much about investing in cybersecurity, it's a great time to consider it... After all, crime isn't going away. And as AI improves, criminals will keep finding ways to use it to scam people out of their money. Even in a recession, cutting back on security is something no one will want to do. Tomorrow, I'll get into more of the numbers behind all of this cybercrime. And I'll discuss what the Power Gauge sees amid this concerning era of criminal activity. Good investing, Joe Austin Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -1.36% 0 23 7 S&P 500 +0.14% 42 306 156 Nasdaq -0.02% 6 63 31 Small Caps +0.82% 141 1229 523 Bonds -0.88% Energy +2.26% 2 11 10 — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks remain Bearish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Energy +5.87% Real Estate +5.39% Materials +3.29% Consumer Staples +3.18% Utilities +3.14% Financial +1.61% Industrials +1.47% Health Care +0.44% Communication -0.32% Information Technology -0.78% Consumer Discretionary -1.33% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Services 2 32 19 Over the past 6 months, the Oil & Gas Exploration & Production subsector (XOP) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -7.89%. Its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Very Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #12 of 21 subsectors and has moved up 1 slot over the past week. Indicative Stocks APA APA Corporation HES Hess Corporation CNX CNX Resources Corpor *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers LLY +14.3% FIS +8.65% DLTR +8.1% CE +6.82% FANG +5.7% Losers UNH -22.38% GPN -17.43% SNA -8.0% HUM -7.4% MMC -4.86% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises NFLX Netflix, Inc. Q1 $6.61 Beat by $0.93 HBAN Huntington Bancshares Incorporated Q1 $0.34 Beat by $0.03 FITB Fifth Third Bancorp Q1 $0.74 Beat by $0.05 SNA Snap-on Incorporated Q1 $4.51 Missed by $-0.31 KEY KeyCorp Q1 $0.34 Beat by $0.02 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at indra21poetra@gmail.com. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized financial advice. © 2025 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, copying, or redistribution, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from Chaikin Analytics, LLC. 201 King Of Prussia Rd., Suite 650, Radnor, PA 19087. www.chaikinanalytics.com. Any brokers mentioned constitute a partial list of available brokers and is for your information only. Chaikin Analytics, LLC, does not recommend or endorse any brokers, dealers, or investment advisors. Chaikin Analytics forbids its writers from having a financial interest in any security they recommend to our subscribers. All employees of Chaikin Analytics, LLC (and affiliated companies) must wait 24 hours after an investment recommendation is published online – or 72 hours after a direct mail publication is sent – before acting on that recommendation. This work is based on SEC filings, current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned as financial journalists. It may contain errors, and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility.