PART 2 — AI-Powered Social Engineering & Athlete Security: Protecting Your Inner Circle

Athletes are public figures, but the threats they face aren’t just on social media or in deepfake videos. They now extend into your personal and professional networks. AI has made it easier than ever for attackers to impersonate not just you, but the people you trust most: agents, coaches, family members, and financial advisors.

1. How AI Targets Athletes’ Inner Circles

Social engineering is the art of manipulation. With AI, scammers can now create hyper-realistic voice calls, videos, or messages that appear to come from someone in your inner circle.

Common tactics include:

• Voice cloning: Scammers replicate the voice of an agent, parent, or coach to request sensitive information.

• Synthetic video messages: A deepfake video of a trusted contact instructs you to take immediate action.

• Fake emails or texts: Messages mimic legitimate contacts, often urging urgent wire transfers or contract approvals.

Because these messages look and sound authentic, even experienced athletes can be misled. The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns that AI tools are making social engineering attacks “more convincing and faster to deploy than ever before.” See CISA, “Social Engineering Attacks”: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/tips/ST04-014

2. Documented AI-Driven Social Engineering Incidents

While there are few publicly confirmed athlete-specific cases, broader incidents demonstrate the techniques and legal implications:

• In 2023, the FBI reported an uptick in business email compromise (BEC) scams using AI-synthesized voices of executives to convince employees to transfer funds. See FBI, “Business Email Compromise: The $43 Billion Scam” (Oct. 2023): https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2022/psa220504

• Deepfake voice scams have successfully impersonated CEOs and CFOs to authorize fraudulent transfers; the same methods are directly transferable to agents and coaches. See Wired, “You’re Not Ready for AI-Powered Scams”: https://www.wired.com/story/youre-not-ready-for-ai-powered-scams

Even if you are careful, your family, advisors, or assistants may respond to a deepfake, giving scammers the access they need. These attacks are preemptive, targeted, and highly persuasive.

3. Why Athletes Are High-Value Targets

Athletes are attractive targets because:

• High-profile status: Name and likeness have immediate financial value.

• Frequent transactions: Endorsements, sponsorships, and NIL deals create opportunities for wire-transfer fraud.

• Networked exposure: Agents, coaches, and family are also high-value targets, increasing risk.

4. Legal Considerations

If a scam uses a cloned voice or fake email to impersonate you or someone in your network:

• You are unlikely to be held liable if you did not authorize or participate.

• However, brands and sponsors may demand immediate notification to protect their own interests.

• NIL agreements may include clauses requiring you to report any potential misuse of your likeness or brand identity.

• Preserving evidence is critical for potential legal action against the scammer.

Knowing your contractual duties ahead of time prevents unnecessary exposure or disputes.

5. Practical and Legal Protections

Athletes and their teams can take proactive measures:

• Verification Protocols: Use call-backs, secondary authentication, or code words with trusted contacts.

• Staff Education: Ensure family members, assistants, and agents understand the risks and how AI can impersonate them.

• Contractual Safeguards: Include clauses in endorsement and NIL contracts specifying immediate reporting of impersonation incidents.

• Evidence Preservation: Retain all suspicious messages, video, or audio files to support law enforcement or civil claims.

• Cybersecurity Hygiene: Two-factor authentication, strong password policies, and secure communication channels reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

These steps don’t eliminate risk but significantly increase your legal and operational preparedness.

Next in the Series

Part 3 will examine AI, NIL, and Ownership of Digital Likeness: how unauthorized AI content intersects with intellectual property, NIL rights, and what athletes can do to protect their brand in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.

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