(WHTM) — We are hearing more and more every week about AI, also known as artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, scammers are already using it to fool people online.

2023 may go down as the year of AI Chatbot when more and more companies, from Amazon to airlines are using robots to handle customer questions. But, Mellissa Jones was horrified to learn that one of the women in her mom’s group wasn’t really a woman at all.

“I went to look in my list of contacts, and there was a chatbot. With a real name, like Zo, and a real picture,” said Jones.

There gaming here fellow moms were Zo, a 20-something AI robot.

“A lot of people don’t take great pictures, so if you saw it there you might not think anything about it,” Jones said.

Turns out Zo was placed there and in thousands of other “me” groups by Microsoft which moderates the chats.

After complaints from people like Jones, Microsoft shut down Zo. But, Zo was harmless compared to some AI bots that scammers are using.

A new report on security.org says phishing emails are sending people to chat with scammers. who threatens to delete your Facebook account if you do not give them personal information?

Others pretend to be from delivery services like FedEx and DHL, who then ask you for personal information. Melissa is glad that the Chatbot Zo is now gone.

“It was just weird. A lot of people didn’t know so it just caught people off guard,” Jones said.

But that threatening email from your bank or strange Facebook friend request could not be an AI chatbot.

So watch out for friend requests from people you do not know, so you don’t waste your money.