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AI has been used to defraud people through everything from calling voters to faking celebrity giveaways. Now, the US Treasury Department claims machine learning AI has played a critical part in its enhanced fraud detection processes over the past year — if a broken clock can be right twice a day, maybe AI can do something good one time? 

In a new release, the Treasury states it prevented and recovered “fraud and improper payments” worth over $4 billion over the last fiscal year (October 2023 to September 2024). This number represents a tremendous increase from the previous year, which reached just $652.7 million. One-fourth of the $4 billion apparently comes from recovery by “expediting the identification of Treasury check fraud with machine learning AI.” Again, does it feel a bit like making a deal with the devil? Yes. But, such is 2024. 

The $1 billion comes alongside $2.5 billion in prevention from “identifying and prioritizing high-risk transactions” and another $680 million toward additional prevention techniques. 

The Treasury plans to share the technology with other federal agencies, though some have already implemented their own. The IRS, for example, has taken steps to use AI to find tax evaders, automate services and conduct audits. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-us-treasury-is-using-ai-a-vehicle-for-fraud-to-detect-fraud-123845481.html?src=rss

Amazon has given its basic Fire TV Stick what seems to be a rebranding and has even shaved off a few dollars from its pricing. When you visit its old listing on the website, you’ll see a note that says “There’s a newer model of this product,” which links to the new Fire TV Stick HD. We call it a “rebranding,” since its specs seem pretty much identical to the company’s old basic streamer. It can stream in full HD resolution, comes with HDR support and ships with an Alexa-powered remote control. You can press the Alexa button on its remote to search for shows and launch apps with just a voice command. 

The device can run the most popular streaming apps, like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Peacock, and its remote comes with special buttons for Netflix and Prime Video. Unlike the old version that set you back $40, though, the new Fire TV Stick HD has a base price of $35. That’s only $5 more than the version that ships with a “lite” remote that has few buttons for control. If you want a streamer that’s capable of handing 4K shows and movies, though, this isn’t the model to go for. Amazon has several options to choose from, namely the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max with 16GB of storage and the Fire TV Cube that offers hands-free streaming with its built-in mic and speakers. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/amazons-new-basic-streamer-is-the-35-fire-tv-stick-hd-110011285.html?src=rss

Phasmophobia was one of the chief reasons a lot of gamers lost so much sleep during the pandemic. Now it’s finally headed to consoles after four years of frightening the hell out of us.

Kinetic Games’ ghost hunting game is heading to PlayStation 5, PS VR2 and Xbox Series X/S on October 29. Players on consoles and PCs through Steam can explore haunted places together in online sessions and discover the highest octave their voices can hit. Kinetic announced the game’s console release last year but unforeseen delays forced the studio to push back the date.

Since the game is launching on consoles just before Halloween, Kinetic Games is also holding a special in-game event. Teams will receive a special Halloween goal in which all teams playing on all platforms will work together to “permanently unlock the Blood Moon weather.” The achievement comes with a special badge and trophy and more reasons to scream your head off in future matches.

Phasmophobia is an addictive and horrifying four-player exploration game that came to life on PCs in 2020. As part of a team of ghost hunters, you’re dispatched to a haunted location to investigate and determine what type of horrifying soul is dispatching the living to the realm of the dead. Each team member uses various pieces of ghost hunting equipment and ethereal artifacts to determine the type of spirit doing the haunting and other required criteria about the entity, capture evidence of its presence and sometimes even make contact with the entity.

These ghosts and otherworldly creatures don’t just make doors slam shut and yell “Boo!” before scurrying off into the shadows. There are 20 different types of entities like banshees, demons wraiths and revenants that can call out your name in the darkness, drive down your sanity and even kill your ghost hunter if you’re not careful.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/aaaaaah-phsamophobia-haunts-consoles-this-month-182546124.html?src=rss

On Thursday, the FCC approved new regulations requiring all phone makers to make their handsets compatible with hearing aids. With the number of Americans 65 and older expected to balloon by nearly 50 percent by 2050, the rules will ensure those with hearing loss don’t have to worry about which phones will work with their hearing aids.

“Under the new rules, after a transition period, Americans with hearing loss will no longer be limited in their choice of technologies, features, and prices available in the mobile handset marketplace,” the FCC wrote in a press release.

On the flip side, the FCC also passed a requirement for hearing aid makers that effectively bans proprietary Bluetooth coupling standards in the assistive devices. So, phones must be compatible with hearing aids — and vice versa. The rule even applies to the recently approved over-the-counter hearing aids, which now include AirPods Pro 2.

Other changes include requiring all new mobile handsets sold in the US to let users raise the volume without introducing distortion. In addition, the FCC now mandates that cell phones’ point-of-sale labels clarify hearing aid compatibility and whether the handsets meet Bluetooth or telecoil coupling requirements.

The FCC worked with a consortium of cell carriers, phone makers and researchers to draft and adopt the rules. “Establishing a 100% hearing aid compatibility requirement for all mobile handsets was made possible by the collaborative efforts of members of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force — an independent organization of wireless service providers, handset manufacturers, research institutions and advocates for those with hearing loss,” the Commission wrote. “Members of the Task Force worked together over a period of years to reach a consensus on how the Commission could achieve its objective of requiring 100% of all mobile handsets to be hearing aid compatible.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-fcc-will-soon-require-all-hearing-aids-and-phones-to-work-together-190003074.html?src=rss

A 25-year-old Alabama man has been arrested by the FBI for his alleged role in the takeover of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s X account earlier this year. The hack resulted in a rogue tweet that falsely claimed bitcoin ETFs had been approved by the regulator, which temporarily juiced bitcoin prices.

Now, the FBI has identified Eric Council Jr. as one of the people allegedly behind the exploit. Council was charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, according to the Justice Department. While the SEC had previously confirmed that its X account was compromised via a SIM swap attack, the indictment offers new details about how it was allegedly carried out.

According to the indictment, Council worked with co-conspirators who he coordinated with over SMS and encrypted messaging apps. These unnamed individuals allegedly sent him the personal information of someone, identified only as “C.L,” who had access to the SEC X account. Council then printed a fake ID using the information and used it to buy a new SIM in their name, as well as a new iPhone, according to the DoJ. He then coordinated with the other individuals so they could access the SEC’s X account, change its settings and send the rogue tweet, the indictment says. 

The tweet from @SECGov, which came one day ahead of the SEC’s actual approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFS, caused bitcoin prices to temporarily spike by more than $1,000. It also raised questions about why the high profile account wasn’t secured with multi-factor authentication at the time of the attack. “Today’s arrest demonstrates our commitment to holding bad actors accountable for undermining the integrity of the financial markets,” SEC Inspector General Jeffrey said in a statement.

The indictment further notes that Council allegedly performed some seemingly incriminating searches on his personal computer. Among his searchers were: “SECGOV hack,” “telegram sim swap,” “how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI,” “What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them,” “what are some signs that the FBl is after you,” “Verizon store list,” “federal identity theft statute,” and “how long does it take to delete telegram account,” the indictment says.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-fbi-arrested-an-alabama-man-for-allegedly-helping-hack-the-secs-x-account-193508179.html?src=rss